Sweep for criminals nets 25, plus two more for drive-by shooting, cops say

POMPANO BEACH – Just when detectives thought their 8-hour gang sweep in Pompano Beach was done, two men rode by on a scooter and fired several shots, the Broward Sheriff ’s Office said.

Sean Michael Bremser, 36, of Lauderhill, and Luis Manuel Martinez, 29, of Pompano Beach, were added to the 25 other people arrested during a multi-agency operation Friday night into early Saturday morning, according to court records.

More than 30 law enforcement officers from local, state and federal agencies teamed up to target the increased shootings and gang activity in the area around Atlantic Boulevard near Powerline Road, officials announced Wednesday.

“Fortunately, no one was injured in the drive-by Saturday morning, but it’s the very reason why operations like this one are necessary,” Sheriff Gregory Tony said in a statement. “We need to put an end to the violence and the criminal behavior that robs the rest of the community of its peace and tranquility.”

The more than two dozen people arrested face charges ranging from drug possession and firing a weapon to probation violations. At least three people have documented ties to a known gang, officials said.

Detectives also seized a variety of drugs, three guns, more than $3,000 in cash and a motorcycle reported stolen in Pompano Beach in November 2017.

Among those involved in the sweep: the Broward Sheriff’s Office Pompano Beach and Deerfield Beach districts, Coconut Creek, Hallandale Beach and Fort Lauderdale police, the U.S. Border Patrol, the Florida Department of Corrections Probation and Parole, and the Violence Intervention Proactive Enforcement Response (VIPER) Team and the Gang Investigations Unit.