A woman has been arrested for allegedly attempting to burn down the childhood home of the civil rights activist Martin Luther King.
The 128-year old home and federal landmark in Atlanta is the birthplace of King and where he spent the first 12 years of his life.
The woman, 26, allegedly poured gasoline on the home’s porch, but was stopped by two bystanders before she was able to set fire to the building, the New York Times reported.
In a video published by WXIA-TV, the woman appears to pour what seems to be gasoline from a red canister. Zach Kempf, who recorded the video, is heard asking the woman: “What are you doing?”
The woman mumbles an incoherent answer in response.
Kempf told CBS News affiliate WAFB he saw the woman pulling out a lighter, but stopped her before she could proceed further.
“I stood at the stairs and said, ‘You can’t do this,’ and blocked her for about a minute,” Kempf said.
After being confronted by Kempf, the woman left the porch. She was later detained by two off-duty police officers from New York, who were also visiting the home.
After local police responded to the incident, several relatives of the woman also arrived, appearing “very distraught”, Kempf told the New York Times.
The woman’s relatives said they had been looking for her using the GPS signal on her phone, adding that she was a veteran with mental health problems.
“Obviously, the house is so important, and I’m really glad nothing happened to it,” Kempf said. “But I feel like now I’m mostly just concerned for her wellbeing.”
Atlanta’s police chief, Darin Schierbaum, thanked Kempf and other bystanders for intervening. “Their quick action saved the jewel of our city,” Schierbaum said.
The King Center, a memorial dedicated to King, released a statement on the apparent attempted arson, thanking local law enforcement and those who stepped in to stop the incident.
“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. Fortunately, the attempt was unsuccessful, thanks to the brave intervention of good Samaritans and the quick response of law enforcement,” read the statement.
The woman has been charged with second-degree arson and interfering with government property.
