Florida (US): A 67-year-old Indian-origin nurse, Leela Lal, was severely beaten by a psychiatric patient at Palms West Hospital in Florida. The accused, 33-year-old Stephen Scantlebury, has been charged with attempted second-degree murder with a hate crime enhancement.
According to reports, the attack occurred on Tuesday while Scantlebury was being held under the Baker Act, a law that allows for involuntary hospitalisation of individuals experiencing mental health crises. Witnesses stated that Scantlebury was lying on his hospital bed on the third floor when he suddenly jumped up and launched a violent assault on Lal, punching her repeatedly, according to the arrest affidavit quoted by WPBF, a local news channel.
Details On The Brutal Attack
The assault was so vicious that Lal is expected to lose her eyesight. Nearly every bone in her face was fractured and she had to be airlifted to a trauma center for emergency treatment. The arrest affidavit confirmed the extent of her injuries, stating, “Essentially every bone in the victim's face is broken, and the victim is likely to lose the use of both eyes.”
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Lal’s daughter, Cindy, was devastated by her mother’s condition. “I couldn’t recognise her,” she said. “Both of her eyes were swollen shut. She was intubated, her entire right side was swollen, and there were multiple fractures throughout her face along with brain bleeding.”
'Attack Was Racially Motivated': Cops
Authorities believe the attack was racially motivated. Palm Beach County Deputy Sgt. Beth Newcomb testified that after the assault, Scantlebury was heard making hateful remarks, saying, “Indians are bad” and boasting about beating an Indian doctor. Based on this evidence, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office added a hate crime charge to his attempted murder case.
Scantlebury attempted to flee the hospital after the attack but was later apprehended while running along a road. His wife, Megan Scantlebury, testified in court that he had been behaving erratically in the days leading up to the attack. “He thought people were trying to harm him,” she said. “He believed our house was bugged, that people were listening, and that I was involved. He even thought the neighbours were part of it.”
