A disturbing incident at a Palm Beach County hospital has left a 67-year-old nurse, Leelamma Lal, with severe injuries and a 33-year-old man, Stephen Scantlebury, facing charges of attempted second-degree murder with a hate crime enhancement.
According to authorities, Scantlebury, who was a psychiatric patient at HCA Florida Palms West Hospital, allegedly assaulted Lal last Tuesday, leaving her with multiple facial fractures, a broken collarbone, and brain bleeding. The attack, which lasted between one to two minutes, was captured on hospital surveillance footage and has been described as brutal and vicious.
Lal’s daughter, Cindy Joseph, recounted the extent of her mother’s injuries, saying, “She had subdural and sporadic bleeding of the brain, the right side of her face was fully fractured… She was intubated and unconscious, a lot of bruising in her face and swelling in her eyes. I didn’t really recognise her.”
The affidavit also stated that Scantlebury made racist remarks after the attack, saying, “Indians are bad” and “I just beat the (expletive) out of an Indian doctor.”
During a pre-trial detention hearing, Palm Beach County Deputy Sgt. Beth Newcomb testified about Scantlebury’s remarks, and Lal’s daughter described the severity of her mother’s injuries.
Scantlebury’s wife testified that he had been experiencing paranoia in the days leading up to the attack, believing their home was bugged and that he was under surveillance. However, the judge denied a request to transfer Scantlebury to a mental health facility, calling it “premature.”
The incident has sparked concerns over the safety of medical professionals, with a petition calling for stricter security measures and tougher penalties for assaults on healthcare workers garnering over 10,000 signatures in three days.
Dr. Cheryl Thomas-Harcum, one of the petition’s organisers, said, “Leela devoted her life to this profession, and at the tail end of her career, she had to endure something so vicious.”
Advisory board chair Dr. Manju Samuel of Indian Nurses Association of South Florida urged lawmakers to act, saying, “There are no specific laws to protect healthcare staff. That deficiency must be addressed.”
Lal continues to be in intensive care although on ventilator support.
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