Police raided the home of Cannibal Corpse guitarist Pat O’Brien last week, where they found over 80 firearms, other weapons and three skulls.
O’Brien was arrested on Dec. 10 on charges of burglary and assault after he allegedly entered a neighbor’s house and attacking a female occupant. According to a report by the Tampa Bay Times, police obtained a warrant to search his house after it caught fire, and the fire marshal noted his massive cache of weapons inside.
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Among the confiscated weapons were about 20 handguns, 10 semiautomatic rifles — such as AK-47s — and 50 shotguns. One of the shotguns was sawed-off, making it illegal to own. O’Brien also had two Uzi-style guns, however, as long as his registration is in order, most of these were perfectly legal.
There were also two flamethrowers stashed in O’Brien’s house, according to police, as well as thousands of rounds of ammunition and potential explosive devices. Other weapons were on the premises, and perhaps most shockingly of all, there were three skulls.
About 80 firearms in total were found in the house, which O’Brien was reportedly renting from the owner. The discovery was made even more terrifying by the circumstances under which it was made. On the night that O’Brien was arrested, he was reportedly warning his victims about “the rapture.”
O’Brien allegedly broke into the home of neighbors he had never met before with a knife in hand on Dec. 10. According to police, he pushed a female to the ground, claiming that “aliens have landed.” When police arrived, O’Brien charged an officer with a knife in hand. He had to be stunned with a Taser several times and then arrested.
O’Brien’s house caught fire shortly after his arrest. The huge stash of ammunition and other volatile substances caused explosions within the blaze, and firefighters had to retreat.
Federal agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are now involved with O’Brien’s case. The guitarist was held overnight and appeared in front of a judge on Dec. 11. The judge ordered him to undergo a drug and alcohol evaluation, though that condition was reportedly removed. O’Brien posted $50,000 bail and left on Dec. 12.
Cannibal Corpse has been around for 30 years — an unusually long career in the world of death metal. O’Brien’s arrest came just one day after the band announced that it would be accompanying Slayer on its farewell tour as an opening act. So far, the band, its members and the record label have declined to comment on how this story will effect those plans.
