A 48-year-old Fort Lauderdale man is facing a felony charge and several misdemeanors after deputies say he exposed himself at a crowded Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport gate and urinated, splashing a woman and her 7-year-old son nearby. The incident happened around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday in a passenger waiting area near a gate in Terminal 3, according to court records cited by The Smoking Gun.
Lawrence Raben allegedly urinated toward a couple and their seven-year-old son while seated in the gate area, per the report from The Smoking Gun. Police say Brittany Purdy and her son were struck by the urine, and other passengers scattered from the area as the scene unfolded. Raben was arrested and booked into the county jail following the incident.
A separate search snippet from local10.com similarly describes a 48-year-old man facing multiple charges after deputies said he drunkenly exposed himself to a family waiting for a flight at the airport and then urinated, though that account cuts off before detailing the full allegations. Raben faces charges of misdemeanor battery, indecent exposure, disorderly intoxication, and a felony for allegedly causing a minor to contact bodily fluids, according to the court records referenced by The Smoking Gun.
Unclear Whether He Was Departing or Arriving
Court records do not indicate whether Raben was waiting to board a flight in the secured area or had flown in earlier that day, per the same account. Raben resides in Fort Lauderdale and is described as a divorced father of two young boys. His Facebook profile lists his job as project manager for a kitchen remodeling firm.
The case isn't Raben's first brush with the legal system. In 2011, he pleaded no contest to a domestic battery charge and was sentenced to probation, according to the report. He was also ordered to complete a batterer's intervention program as part of that earlier sentence.
Not the First Alarming Scene at FLL's Terminals
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport has seen other startling incidents play out among its gates in recent memory. In June 2025, Broward Sheriff's Office deputies arrested TSA agent Janiyah Wilson-Robinson after alleging she attacked a 79-year-old airline passenger at the same airport, the station reported at the time. Wilson-Robinson was released on a $1,000 bond after being charged with aggravated battery on a person 65 or older.
The TSA said in a statement that Wilson-Robinson had been placed on administrative leave pending further investigation and that the agency was fully cooperating with law enforcement authorities. That case remains a separate matter from Tuesday's incident involving Raben, but it underscores how quickly routine moments at FLL's terminals can escalate into criminal cases that draw national attention.
