Detectives were apparently in the right place at the right time when they stopped a man while he was in the act of committing a sexual battery in Pompano Beach over the weekend, authorities said.
Detectives were apparently in the right place at the right time when they stopped a man while he was in the act of committing a sexual battery in Pompano Beach over the weekend, authorities said.
The incident happened Sunday morning in the 700 block of Northwest 8th Avenue, Broward Sheriff's Office officials said.
Officials said detectives with BSO's Violence Intervention Proactive Enforcement Response, or VIPER team, had been conducting surveillance on 44-year-old Matthew Merriman Cohen related to a previous sexual assault investigation.
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Detectives followed Cohen to a gas station, where a woman got into his SUV before they drove to a nearby neighborhood and parked.
The detectives saw Cohen force the victim to perform a sex act on him, and they moved in and took him into custody, officials said.
The woman told detectives Cohen had offered to drive her to a friend's house but instead demanded sex acts, telling her he wouldn't hurt her if she complied, authorities said.
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She said she had tried to get away but he pulled her back, and she was in fear for her life.
Cohen was arrested on charges including sexual battery and false imprisonment, but officials said more charges are pending.
Detectives believe Cohen is responsible for at least two other sexual battery cases in Pompano Beach and that they may be other similar cases that have gone unreported.
Anyone with information or who believes they are a victim of Cohen is asked to call BSO at 954-321-4729.
