Joe.My.God. LGBT News
The New York Times reports:
Bystanders stopped a 26-year-old woman from setting fire to the home where Martin Luther King Jr. was born after she poured gasoline on it, the authorities said. Two visitors from Utah interrupted the woman as she was pouring gasoline on the porch and on the door of the home, Darin Schierbaum, the Atlanta police chief, told reporters on Thursday.
Two off-duty NYPD officers who had been visiting the house then chased her down and detained her until the officers from the Atlanta Police Department arrived, he said.
Zach Kempf, 43, a filmmaker from Salt Lake City who was there with his co-worker, said he first thought she was simply watering the shrubs in front of the house. Suddenly, she rushed up the stairs and began yanking on the screen door, trying to get in the house.
Atlanta police have issued a statement:
Preliminary information: On December 7, 2023, at approximately 5:45 p.m., Atlanta Police Zone 6 officers responded to a report of a vandalism in progress at 501 Auburn Ave. NE.
Upon arriving on the scene, officers detained a 26-year-old female suspect who had been stopped by multiple citizens. Preliminary investigation indicates that the suspect had poured gasoline onto the property of 501 Auburn Ave. NE.
The suspect was placed under arrest for Criminal Attempt Arson in the Second Degree and Interference with Government Property. The investigation continues.
Please keep in mind that the information released is preliminary in nature and could change as the investigation progresses or new information comes to light.
Relatives of the woman say she is a veteran who has been experiencing mental issues.
Bystanders stopped a 26-year-old woman who poured gasoline onto the Atlanta birth home of Martin Luther King Jr. from burning it, the authorities said.https://t.co/viAIVEGLlh
— The New York Times (@nytimes) December 8, 2023
BREAKING UPDATE: Woman charged with pouring gasoline, trying to burn down Martin Luther King Jr.’s Atlanta birth home, according to police.
Here’s what we know: https://t.co/4jdq6B3r8l pic.twitter.com/x7JpHQNAzK— WSB-TV (@wsbtv) December 8, 2023