Detectives caught man in the act of sexually assaulting a woman in Pompano Beach: BSO
Broward Sheriff’s Office detectives say they stopped and arrested a man as he was in the process of sexually battering a woman in Pompano Beach on Sunday morning.
Detectives were surveilling a 2003 Cadillac Escalade belonging to 44-year-old Matthew Cohen early Sunday morning as part of their investigation into a previous sexual assault, the sheriff’s office said. They followed the SUV to a gas station at the 500 block of West Atlantic Boulevard and saw a women get into the vehicle.
Cohen drove to a nearby neighborhood and parked at the 700 block of NW 8th Avenue, where BSO said detectives watched Cohen force the woman to perform a sexual act on him.
“They moved in and took him into custody,” sheriff’s office spokeswoman Veda Coleman-Wright said in a statement.
According to the sheriff’s office, the victim told detectives Cohen offered to drive her to a friend’s house in the area, but instead, he demanded sex from her and threatened to harm her if she didn’t comply. She said she tried getting away, but Cohen pulled her back into the car.
“She said she was in fear for her life and grateful law enforcement arrived when they did,” Coleman-Wright said.
On Monday, Cohen remained locked up in Broward County jail on one count of sexual battery and another of false imprisonment. A judge set his bond at $75,000.
Detectives believe Cohen is responsible for at least two other sexual batteries in Pompano Beach. Coleman-Wright noted there may be other similar cases that have gone ureported.
The sheriff’s office is asking anyone who believes they are a victim of Matthew Cohen to contact Special Victims Unit Detective Melissa Wallach at (954) 321-4729.
