Cannibal Corpse guitarist arrested after 'running toward an officer with a knife' as house burns

Firefighters had difficulty putting out the blaze due to there being flamethrowers in the house

Patrick O'Brien's booking image (Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office)

Pat O’Brien, the lead guitarist of pioneering death metal band Cannibal Corpse, has been arrested after breaking into a Florida home and later running toward a deputy with a knife.

At the same time, local news station WPTV reports, firefighters responded to a blaze at O’Brien’s nearby home, which officials say proved difficult to extinguish due to explosive ammunition and military-style flamethrowers in the house.

The guitarist allegedly forced his way into a nearby address in Northdale, Hillsborough County on Monday evening. When the two occupants told him to leave, he reportedly pushed one of them to the ground and ran into the back garden.

When police arrived, O’Brien reportedly did not obey deputies commands and ran towards one of them with a knife. He was taken down using a taser and arrested at the scene.

O’Brien was later charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer with a deadly weapon and burglary of an occupied dwelling with assault or battery. There are currently no charges in connection with the fire, which CBS17 reports took about an hour to put out.

The same day as the incident, Slayer announced that Cannibal Corpse will be supporting them on their farewell tour.