A Florida man remained jailed Thursday after police said he exposed himself and urinated on a mother and her young child at a busy airport gate.
Lawrence Kai Raben, 48, of Fort Lauderdale, was arrested Tuesday at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport following the disturbing episode at Gate E6, according to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office. He was still being held at the Broward County Jail on $5,000 total bond two days later, records show.
The incident unfolded as Raben sat across from a family of three who were waiting for their flight. The mother was with her 7-year-old son when Raben, described by authorities as intoxicated, unbuttoned his pants and exposed himself, police said.
Several other passengers were in the immediate vicinity at the time, but most “dispersed” once Raben exposed himself and began relieving himself, according to police. The traveler then “began urinating in their direction,” splashing the mother and her son with bodily fluids, a police report obtained by WPLG stated.
It remains unclear whether Raben was scheduled to board the same flight as the family and other passengers waiting at the gate. Authorities have not disclosed his intended destination or what airline was servicing the gate at the time of the incident.
Raben faces multiple charges stemming from the encounter. He was charged with battery causing a person under 18 to have contact with bodily fluids, battery, disorderly intoxication, and three counts of indecent exposure, according to the sheriff’s office.
The charge involving contact with bodily fluids specifically addresses the harm to the minor child, elevating the severity of the alleged conduct beyond standard public intoxication or disorderly conduct cases. Each of the three indecent exposure counts likely corresponds to the mother, her son, and potentially another witness or the broader public setting.
The Broward County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Post regarding additional details about the case.