Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Lavell Lorenzo Lawrence Strong, 29, was arrested yesterday for allegedly attacking a security guard at UF Health Shands Hospital.

At about 9:30 a.m. on September 30, a witness saw Strong walking around the hospital and noticed that he matched the description of a man who had been flashing his genitals at people at the hospital, so the witness called security. A security guard responded to ask Strong why he was on the property, and the security guard told the responding Gainesville Police Department officer that Strong seemed very agitated and nervous, so he called two other security guards.

The security guards told the police officer that Strong did not want to talk to them, so they told him he needed to leave the property, but he became more agitated and aggressive.

The first security guard said Strong took an aggressive posture toward one of the other guards and suddenly rushed her, pushing her into the third security guard, while the first security guard grabbed Strong and took him to the ground. The victim was not injured, and the third security guard kept her from falling. Strong reportedly suffered small abrasions on his face and hands and was medically cleared by EMS before being transported to the jail.

Strong has been charged with battery on a security guard. He has 11 felony convictions (one violent) and nine misdemeanor convictions (one violent); he has served four state prison sentences, with his most recent release in May 2025. Strong was last arrested in May 2022 for exposing himself at the Main Library on the UF campus; after entering a plea of nolo contendere to the charges, he was sentenced to three years in state prison. Strong did not attend today’s First Appearance hearing, so his bail will probably be set tomorrow.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.