On Thursday, Kenneth Dodson and his younger brother Axel went to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Atlanta birthplace to snap a photo.
It seemed for a brief while as though the retired officers from the New York City Police Department were back at work. Someone mentioned that the historic home of the late civil rights leader had been attempted to be set on fire by a woman.
How do you feel? Do you think we should go after her? Axel Dodson enquired about his sibling.
Indeed, Kenneth said, “Let’s go get her.”
The accused arsonist was soon apprehended by the two, who then returned her to the scene.
“You know, I made a collar with my little brother,” said Kenneth Dodson on Saturday during the Outstanding Citizens Awards ceremony held by the NYPD in honor of the brothers.
Deputy Commissioner Tania Kinsella of the NYPD First stated, “We say when you see something, say something.” They did more than just observe; they took action. And for that, you have our gratitude and admiration.
The Dodson brothers, according to NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell, “saved a part of American history.”
Even though they might have been off duty that day, Chell said, “they put themselves on duty immediately.”
According to Atlanta Fire Department Battalion Chief Jerry DeBerry, the Dodsons were among several bystanders who probably prevented the house from going up in flames.
“The house might have caught fire in a matter of seconds,” DeBerry stated to CNN.
According to a statement from the Atlanta Police Department, officers were dispatched to the historic house in the Old Fourth Ward neighbourhood at approximately 5:45 p.m. on Thursday in response to a report of vandalism. According to the statement, police discovered that a 26-year-old had been stopped by several people after she spilled petrol on the property.
Zach Kempf reported to WSB that he observed the female gassing the house. She picked up a lighter, and Kempf—who was visiting from Utah—stepped up and blocked her, he said.
We weren’t sure who she was, so it was a little frightening there for a while. We had no idea if she was carrying any weapons. Nothing was known to us,” Kempf remarked.
Kenneth Dodson smiled as he recalled, “I said I’m not chasing anybody.” “I’m not running after anybody, but I’ll get in the car and go after her.”
Before Axel jumped out and started chasing the woman on foot, the former officers got into their cars and followed her down the street. Keenan leaped out to watch his sibling.
The woman had managed to climb a fence, and the brothers yelled at her to get down. Before long, they were standing on top of her. When the Atlanta police arrived, Axel held her hands behind her back while they transported her back to the King residence.
According to Atlanta police, the woman—whom CNN has not identified—was detained and accused of interfering with government property and attempting to set fire to it. The Fulton County Jail was the place where she was being held.
The woman is a veteran of the US Navy, Cmdr Andrew Bertucci, a spokesman for the Navy, said. She left in 2020 after serving for four years.
“Your policing takes effect no matter how long you’ve been gone—I’ve been gone for a while,” Kenneth Dodson declared on Saturday.
After graduating from the police academy in 1984, Kenneth said that the two were visiting his father in Atlanta. The previous day, his father had inquired about the brothers’ feelings about not being in law enforcement.
Kenneth admitted to his father that he did miss the opportunity to aid others as well as the rush of adrenaline.
However, he claimed that reliving those times with his brother was the greatest part.
Recalling a photo of Axel sporting his older brother’s floppy police cap on the day of his academy graduation, Kenneth Dodson said, “I always hoped that we would work together, and we did for a single day years later.”Kenneth Dodson, who was assigned to the transportation bureau of the New York Police Department, stated, “From that moment on, he always said I want to do this, too.”
According to the chief of patrol, Kinsella and Chell gave the brothers awards for their “dedication, sacrifice, and outstanding service.”
The National Park Service reports that the historic house doesn’t seem to have sustained any irreversible damage.
The National Park Service’s Ash Phillips, a historical architect, told CNN that there was a strong petrol smell that needed to be let out. The house was kept away from possible sparks by crews, according to Phillips, who described it as an “irreplaceable resource.”
According to the National Park Service, King’s birth home is a well-known historical site that offers tours of the area where he was born and spent the first 12 years of his life. However, due to rehabilitation work, tours have been suspended through November 2025.
The National Park Service states that after King and his mother were married in 1926, they moved into the house. The Kings relocated to a new Atlanta residence years later. The house was being restored in order to turn it into a historic museum after King was assassinated in 1968.
In a statement, the King Center—a nonprofit organization that King’s wife founded—thanked the police and onlookers.
The statement stated, “Fortunately, the attempt was thwarted by the courageous intervention of good Samaritans and the prompt response of law enforcement.” “Our thoughts and prayers are with the person who is suspected of committing this crime.”
Before he retired, Axel Dodson worked for the NYPD’s patrol service bureau. He stated, “I’m glad that we were all there… to help stop this from happening.”
