An Indian-origin nurse was beaten almost to death by a psychiatric patient at the Florida hospital where she worked. Leela Lal, 67, suffered a brutal attack at the hands of Stephen Scantlebury at Palms West Hospital on Tuesday, reported local news channel WPBF.
Scantlebury, 33, has been jailed while he awaits trial. He has been charged with attempted second-degree murder with a hate crime modifier, CBS12 reported.
Here’s what happened
According to the arrest affidavit quoted by WPBF, “Scantlebury was a psychiatric patient on a Baker Act hold”, which means he was hospitalised involuntarily after a mental health crisis.
On Tuesday, Scantlebury was on a bed on the third floor of the hospital when he suddenly attacked Lal. Eyewitnesses said he jumped on the bed before attacking Lal, hitting her repeatedly with his fists.
The attack was so brutal that Lal, 67, is likely to lose her eyesight. Almost every bone in her face was broken and she had to be airlifted to the nearest trauma unit.
"Essentially every bone in the victim's face is broken and the victim is likely to lose the use of both eyes," according to the affidavit.
{{/usCountry}}"Essentially every bone in the victim's face is broken and the victim is likely to lose the use of both eyes," according to the affidavit.
{{/usCountry}}"I couldn't recognize her," said Lal’s daughter Cindy. "Both eyes were swollen, she was intubated, her whole face on the right side was swollen, multiple fractures throughout her face, bleeding in the brain."
Racist attack?
After the attack, Palm Beach County Deputy Sgt. Beth Newcomb testified that she observed Scantlebury saying, "Indians are bad" and "I just beat the (expletive) out of an Indian doctor."
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office has added a “hate crime” charge to Scantlebury’s attempted second-degree murder charge.
Scantlebury managed to escape the hospital before he was caught while running on a road. His wife told the court Thursday that he had been acting paranoid for several days leading up to the attack.
"He thought there were people trying to harm him," Megan Scantlebury said in court Thursday. "He thought that our house was bugged, that there was people listening. He thought I was involved. He thought the neighbors were involved."