Earlier this morning we reported on Cannibal Corpse guitarist Pat O'Brien being 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 has now appeared at the Hillsborough County Courthouse wearing an anti-suicide vest and with his wrists and ankles chained together.
O'Brien's bail was set at $50,000 and was told by a judge that he would need to pass a drug test if he were to be bonded out of jail. According to Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Cristal Nunez, there is an ongoing investigation into last night's events.
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O'Brien broke into a home in the Northdale neighborhood of Tampa, Florida around 6:57 p.m. on Monday, December 10. The home was occupied by two currently-unidentified people, one of whom O'Brien pushed to the ground.
O'Brien was hiding behind a fence near his home when police arrived. Upon the arrival of law enforcement, O'Brien ran toward an officer on the scene with a knife and was taken "down by using an electronic control device on him and arrested him at the scene." At the time of the break in, O'Brien's home was on fire with exploding ammunition inside. Hillsborough County firefighters took about an hour to extinguish the flames, a duration due to the ammunition inside exploding. Crews remained at the scene throughout the night and kept the road blocked long off after the fire was put out.
In Florida, both crimes are felony charges. O'Brien could be facing up to thirty years in prison just on the charge of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer with a deadly weapon. The burglary charge can see a fine up to $10,000 a maximum of life in prison.
Neither Cannibal Corpse nor their label Metal Blade have yet to release statements on O'Brien's arrest. Cannibal Corpse was announced yesterday as one of the opening acts alongside Amon Amarth and Lamb Of God for Slayer's final North American tour beginning in May 2019 (we're actually giving away a pair of tickets to each stop of the tour).
