NORTHDALE, FL. (THECOUNT) — Patrick O’Brien, lead guitarist for death metal band, Cannibal Corpse, has been arrested and charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer with a deadly weapon and burglary of an occupied dwelling with assault or battery.
O’Brien, 53, is accused of breaking into a Windflower Circle home in Northdale, Florida, and then running toward a deputy with a knife in an incident that occurred around 7:00 p.m. on Monday, according to an arrest affidavit.
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Officers say O’Brien did not respond to commands and attempted to approach an officer while holding a knife.
Doors away from the scene, a house fire raged. The home on fire contained military-style flamethrowers. It is not yet known if O’Brien is connected to the blaze.
Patrick O’Brien, 53, reportedly forced himself into a home on Windflower Circle in the Northdale neighborhood at approximately 6:57 p.m. on Monday. There were two people in the house at the time. One of the victims told O’Brien to get out of the house immediately, at which point O’Brien pushed the other victim to the ground and ran into the backyard of the home. Deputies responded and O’Brien reportedly did not obey their commands and ran toward a deputy with a knife in his right hand. The deputy took O’Brien down by using an electronic control device on him and arrested him at the scene. source
At the same time, Hillsborough County Fire Rescue was responding to a fire at home on Norwood Drive in Northdale after a neighbor called 911 after she saw flames coming from the house.
Officials say there were military-style flamethrowers inside the home, making the fire much harder to battle for firefighters.
Northdale is an unincorporated census-designated place in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. Northdale was named by the combination of the words in North Dale Mabry, the main highway through the Northdale area. The population was 22,079 at the 2010 census, according to Wikipedia.
The home where the fire occurred is less than a half mile away from the home where O’Brien was arrested for burglary.
Deputies have not said if the fire and the burglary are related but initial reports from officials say a man was seen running from the fire when they arrived on scene.
It is unknown if the man seen running from the home was living at the home at the time.
Anyone with possible information on the incident should contact police at 911.
Slayer recently announced Cannibal Corpse as one of their opening acts on their upcoming farewell tour.