Tim Lambesis, the lead singer of the Grammy-nominated band As I Lay Dying, has been arrested on suspicion that he plotted to kill his estranged wife.
Lambesis, 32, allegedly tried to hire an undercover detective to kill his wife, Meggan, the San Diego County Sheriff's Department said in a statement.
The heavily tattooed singer was arrested in Oceanside five days after his contact with the undercover officer. His wife lives in nearby Encinitas.
"The information came to us late last week. We acted quickly on it. I believe that we averted a great tragedy," a police spokesperson said in a statement.
Officials say he is due to be arraigned on Thursday.
San Diego-based As I Lay Dying formed in 2000 and has released six albums. The band's 2007 song "Nothing Left" was nominated for a Grammy.
The Los Angeles Times calls Lambesis "an openly Christian heavy metal artist" who "recently posted a video on YouTube in which he and a bandmate trade 'mosh calls for the lord,' including such rallying cries as 'crowd surf for the virgin birth.' "
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