Cannibal Corpse Guitarist Warned of Rapture While House Burned with Flamethrowers Inside

Pat O'Brien was arrested and could face up to 30 years in prison

BY Joe Smith-EngelhardtPublished Dec 13, 2018

Cannibal Corpse guitarist Pat O'Brien was arrested earlier this week for assault and burglary as his home went up in flames, but the story is getting stranger as more details emerge. The guitarist was reportedly in possession of military-style flamethrowers and warned of the coming rapture while he hid in a closet of the home he broke into.
 
O'Brien was arrested after allegedly breaking into a neighbour's home in Northdale, FL, and shoving her to the floor before running into the woman's backyard and hiding behind a fence. The homeowner claimed O'Brien was "hallucinating," hid in a closet and spoke of the oncoming rapture and someone coming after him. When police attempted to arrest the guitarist, he charged at them with a knife and was promptly tasered and handcuffed.
 
While this incident was happening, his house was engulfed in flames as ammunition was causing explosions inside the home. It took firefighters over an hour to calm the blaze but they had to stay overnight in case the fire spread to surrounding homes. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office later said in a tweet their bomb squad was called in after flamethrowers were found inside the house. Strangely enough, it's not illegal to own a flamethrower in Florida.
   
During his court appearance, O'Brien wore an anti-suicide vest and was shackled to deputies. He is being charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer with a deadly weapon and burglary of an occupied dwelling with assault or battery.

His bail was set at $50,000 pending a drug test, but the guitarist could face up to 30 years in prison or a potential lifetime sentence for the felony charges.
 
Cannibal Corpse have not made a statement on the arrest at this time. The band were announced as openers for the next leg of Slayer's farewell tour earlier this week.

You can watch the ABC Action News report on the incident below.
 

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