Police probing whether fire, shooting connected

Detectives are investigating whether a fire that destroyed a Pompano Beach home early Saturday morning is connected to a violent incident at a nearby karaoke club that took place minutes earlier, the Broward Sheriff ’s Office said.

The shooting and stabbing incident was reported at 5:20 a.m. at Singers Karaoke Klub on the 3500 block of Northwest Eighth Avenue. The house fire was less than a mile away.

The home’s owner, Dully Dennis, said no one was injured.

“They told me it was a total loss,” said Dennis, who was asleep when the Jeep plowed into his home.

Dennis said he had been planning a trip to Haiti this morning and intended to bring Christmas presents to family members. But the gifts were destroyed in the fire, and Dennis said he will be concentrating instead on finding a place to live with his family.

Sheriff’s spokeswoman Keyla Concepcion said two people were taken to Broward Health North after the incident at Singers. She did not release their names or their conditions.

The Sheriff ’s Office pursued a vehicle believed to be connected to the karaoke club shooting a block away when the driver got out and ran away, Concepcion said. As deputies searched for the driver, they noticed a silver Jeep speeding from the area.

The Jeep’s driver ignored deputies who tried to get him to stop, but he lost control and crashed into Dennis’ home at Northeast Second Avenue and Northeast 23rd Street, according to the sheriff’s office. The vehicle caught fire.

The driver was arrested at the scene, Concepcion said. His name was not released.

Concepcion did not know whether he was connected to the shooting and stabbing at the karaoke club or whether he was associated with the driver of the first vehicle that was being chased.

“They told me it was a total loss.” Dully Dennis, homeowner