Christmas might be a time to spread holiday cheer with your loved ones, but that’s not always the case. Take, for example, Red Lamb and former Anthrax guitarist Dan Spitz. He spent Christmas in jail after being arrested on suspicion of domestic violence. South Florida’s Gossip Extra reports that the 50 year-old Spitz was booked into the Palm Beach County jail at around 5am on Christmas day.

Police responded to a call at Spitz’s house in Lake Worth, where he and his wife and manager Candi had been drinking heavily since Christmas eve. The two had begun arguing and the verbal argument eventually turned physical, with Candi stating that her husband had wrapped his hands around her throat and tried to choke her. Deputies noticed bruises around her throat. Spitz claimed that she had attacked him first, and deputies noticed that there were scratches on his chest, neck and arms. Candi’s mother didn’t see the assault, which happened in their bedroom, but reported that she’d heard her daughter yell “I can’t breathe.”

Spitz was released on his own recognizance yesterday afternoon. The two have 7 year-old autistic twins together, but had brielfy separated last year. Gossip Extra reports that the fight was about a man that Candi briefly dated when they were separated. Spitz was in Anthrax from 1983 – 1995, and had played with the band for their 2007 reunion tour.