Woman Arrested For Arson After Attempting To Burn Down Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birth Home By Pouring Gasoline On It

Atlanta police have apprehended a woman who attempted to set fire to the birthplace of civil rights leader Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. 

The arrest took place on Thursday evening after officers responded to a vandalism report at the historic two-story home located in Atlanta’s Auburn Avenue Historic District.  Police say that a preliminary investigation suggests that the woman, 26, had poured gasoline on the property before she was stopped by individuals present at the site.

Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum commended the quick action of those on the scene.

“We believe at this time she was pouring gasoline on the porch and the door of the home. Their quick action saved a jewel of our city, something very important to Atlanta,” he told WXIA-TV.

Video footage captured by a witness and broadcasted by local television stations shows a young woman dressed in black pants, a black shirt, and a black knit cap with a large red gas canister on the front porch of the house. The footage shows her dousing the home with a liquid. The police report notes that she was not in any shoes.

The police report says that two men from Utah, who were in Atlanta for work, decided to visit the historic home and observed the woman pour a liquid on the bushes. They grew suspicious when she did not respond to their inquiries.

When they realized the liquid was gasoline, the men pleaded with her to stop. Eventually, with the assistance of other bystanders, they were able to detain her.

The report states that she actively attempted to ignite the property and bushes with a lighter, which prompted them to take the lighter away from her and restrain her until police arrived.

Zach Kempf, one of the men involved, told WSB-TV: “It was a little scary there for a minute because we didn’t know who she was… We didn’t know if she had weapons on her, we didn’t know anything.”

The woman was subsequently taken to a hospital for a psychological evaluation. She now faces charges of second-degree attempted arson and interference with government property. The historic site, which serves as a museum, is owned and operated by the National Park Service.

In a statement posted to X, the King Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of King and his wife Coretta Scott King’s legacy, said, “Tonight, an unfortunate incident occurred at the birth home of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as an individual attempted to set fire to this historic property.”

It continued, “Fortunately, the attempt was unsuccessful, thanks to the brave intervention of good samaritans and the quick response of law enforcement.”