A Palm Beach nurse was beaten within an inch of her life by a young man who police say launched a racist attack against her as she was treating him.
Leela Lal, 67, nearly died after being attacked by a 33-year-old psychiatric patient, Stephen Scantlebury, in February at HCA Florida Palms West Hospital, where she has worked for 21 years.
Scantlebury was charged with attempted second-degree murder. Officials placed a hate-crime enhancement on the charge, which means he will face a first-degree felony, because, they say, Scantlebury ‘made utterances’ about Lal’s Indian ethnicity following the attack.
According to The Palm Beach Post, Scantlebury told investigators after the attack that he believed someone had killed his family as he spoke poorly about people of Indian descent. He had called 911 the previous day saying he was feeling paranoid.
After fearing that the attack had left her blind, Lal can now see through one eye and has been transferred to a rehabilitation facility, where she will remain until doctors determine her next medical steps.
Lal’s family told the local outlet that she is in great pain after a facial reconstruction surgery but has started asking about her grandchildren.
‘Make sure you call my job and tell them I’m in the hospital so they don’t fire me,’ Lal reportedly told her daughter when she regained consciousness one month ago.
The brutal attack left nurse Leela Lal in critical condition, with almost every bone in her face broken and the very likely possibility that she will never have the use of both of her eyes again
Stephen Scantlebury, 33, had suffered a psychiatrist break before the attack . He is seen in bodycam footage the day before the assault. He had called 911 to say he had been feeling paranoid
The 21-year veteran nurse at the HCA Florida Palms West Hospital was left in critical condition but has since shown signs of improvement
While doctors removed the tube that was in her neck to help her breathe, Lal is still being fed through a syringe because her jaw is wired shut.
The suspect was a Baker Act patient under Florida law – one who is admitted involuntarily for a 72-hour psychiatric mental health hold as they are believed to be a danger to themselves or others.
However, instead of going to a Baker Act facility, the suspect had voluntarily checked himself into Palms West hospital where he was then admitted to the third floor of an unsecured patient room.
Police said that while he was undergoing telemetry with Lal, he leaped out of his bed, jumped on her and brutally beat her before running barefoot out of the hospital.
After the horrific attack, Lal had to be airlifted by helicopter to St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach where she was required ICU level care upon arrival.
‘Essentially, every bone in the victim’s face is broken and the victim is likely to lose the use of both of her eyes,’ the affidavit states. Doctors also found brain bleeds.
Officers later found and arrested Scantlebury after he was spotted running barefoot along a busy highway.
The day before the near-death assault, he had called 911 to say he had been feeling paranoid. He and his family then met with deputies at a Dunkin Donuts near their home, but they did not force him to seek any mental health help.
Megan Scantlebury, the wife of the accused, testified that he was a loving father and husband who had worked for his family’s construction business for 20 years
Officers later found and arrested Scantlebury after he was spotted running barefoot along a busy highway
Lal’s family said that she is in great pain after a facial reconstruction surgery but has started asking about her grandchildren
Megan Scantlebury, the wife of the accused, testified that he was a loving father and husband who had worked for his family’s construction business for 20 years.
She also testified that her husband had never displayed any warning signs of aggression towards her or those around him until two days before the attack, when he began showing signs of paranoia and hallucinations – behaviors she said ‘followed a car crash.’
Lal’s loved ones have raised concerns about the safety of hospital staff, as they believe warning signs were ignored that could have prevented the tragic outcome.
‘I read that he was acting delusional in the days leading up to the attack,’ Cindy Joseph, Lal’s daughter, said.
‘Those would have been flags for people to step in or maybe add security before this incident happened. It was preventable, for sure.’
Officials said Scantlebury ‘made utterances’ about Lal’s race following the attack
Dr. Carol Milliken, president of the Florida Emergency Nurses Association, explained that nurses in Baker Act facilities must undergo hands-on training to be able to manage psychiatric patient care, according to WPTV.
On the other hand, nurses in other medical settings receive broader psychiatric training online in a module that covers several areas of care.
‘The knowledge and ability to care for these patients is different than it is in a receiving facility,’ Milliken told the outlet.