A female military veteran who tried to burn down Martin Luther King's childhood home by pouring gasoline on the porch has been identified.
Laneisha Henderson, 26, has been photographed for the first time since tourists visiting the monument stopped her from setting the historic building on fire.
The decorated Navy veteran from Brandon, Florida, has been charged with attempted arson and interfering with government property over the incident following her arrest on Thursday.
She was also seen trying to rip the screen door off the front of the property, which was built in 1895 and was MLK Jr.'s home until he was 12. used to be.
She was prevented from setting the Atlanta home on fire by bystanders who saw her dousing the windows of the property with gasoline.
Laneisha Henderson has been identified as the woman caught on camera dousing Martin Luther King's childhood home with gasoline
The 27-year-old is charged with attempted arson and disturbing government property
Henderson is a decorated Navy veteran who received medals for good conduct, among other awards
Henderson's Facebook page states that she is from Atlanta and lives in Tallahassee, Florida.
The Eufala High School graduate enlisted in the Navy for four years and was awarded medals for good conduct, the release said. Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Passing tourists intervened when they saw Henderson trying to light a lighter on the lawn, with two visiting New York police officers eventually restraining her.
Eyewitness Zach Kempf, 43, who was visiting the federal monument from Salt Lake City, was among those who intervened.
Kempf said the woman had a “nervous energy” about her, adding, “But she wasn't aggressive.”
He added: 'The house is obviously so important, and I'm really glad nothing happened to it. But I feel like my main concern now is for her well-being.”
The woman then allegedly gave in to her attempts to set the house on fire and started walking away.
The off-duty officers restrained her, while another part of the video showed the woman with a knee on her back.
The Atlanta landmark was built in 1895 and was MLK Jr.'s childhood home until he was 12
Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said Good Samaritans helped “save an important part of American history” tonight.
Shortly after her arrest, the woman's father and sisters arrived on the scene. They said they tried to track her down because they were concerned about her and found her through a tracking app on her phone.
Henderson's father told me WSB TV that she had been missing for two days and was in mental distress.
Located in the historic Sweet Auburn section of Atlanta, the home is being renovated and closed to the public until 2025.
Jerry DeBerry, battalion chief of the Atlanta Fire Department, echoed the police chief's words, saying that if the witnesses had lasted longer, the house could have been lost forever.
“It could have been a matter of seconds before the house went up in flames,” DeBerry said.
'Tonight an unfortunate incident occurred at the birthplace of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., when someone tried to set this historic building on fire. Fortunately, the attempt was unsuccessful, thanks to the courageous intervention of good Samaritans and the swift response of law enforcement,” the King Center said in a statement.
“We thank the Atlanta Police Department, the Atlanta Fire Department, the National Parks Service and Mayor Andre Dickens for leading efforts to ensure the safety of our cherished national monument and its adjacent neighbors. Our prayers are with the person who allegedly committed this criminal act,” the press release continued.
Congress declared the house a national historic site in 1980, and the National Park Service began offering tours.
Judy Forte, the superintendent of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, said the organization is looking at increased security measures following the incident.
