‘Indians are bad’: Florida man brutally assaults Indian-origin nurse, breaks ‘essentially every bone’ in her face

Stephen Scantlebury, 33, of Wellington, allegedly attacked 67-year-old nurse Leelamma Lal at HCA Florida Palms West Hospital.

A 33-year-old man accused of viciously attacking a nurse at a Palm Beach County hospital will stay in custody with out bond, a decide dominated on Thursday.
Stephen Scantlebury, of Wellington, allegedly assaulted 67-year-old nurse Leelamma Lal at HCA Florida Palms West Hospital final Tuesday, leaving her with extreme accidents. Authorities stated Lal suffered a number of facial fractures, a damaged collarbone, and mind bleeding.
During the pre-trial detention listening to, Palm Beach County Deputy Sgt. Beth Newcomb testified that after the assault, Scantlebury made racist remarks, saying, “Indians are bad” and “I just beat the (expletive) out of an Indian doctor.”
Lal’s daughter, Cindy Joseph, described the extent of her mom’s accidents: “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 recognize her.”
The brutal assault, which lasted one to 2 minutes, was captured on hospital surveillance footage.

Mental well being claims and authorized proceedings

Scantlebury, a affected person on the hospital on the time, was reportedly not receiving remedy for a psychological well being situation. However, his spouse testified in courtroom that he had been experiencing paranoia in the times main as much as the assault, believing their house was bugged and that he was below surveillance.
Defense attorneys requested that he be transferred to a psychological well being facility, however the decide denied the request, calling it “premature.” Scantlebury is charged with tried second-degree homicide with a hate crime enhancement.

Renewed requires healthcare employee protections

The assault has reignited issues over the security of medical professionals. A petition calling for stricter safety measures and more durable penalties for assaults on healthcare employees has garnered over 10,000 signatures in three days.
Dr. Cheryl Thomas-Harcum, one of many petition’s organizers, stated: “Leela devoted her life to this profession, and at the tail end of her career, she had to endure something so vicious.”
The Indian Nurses Association of South Florida echoed these issues. Advisory board chair Dr. Manju Samuel urged lawmakers to behave: “There are no specific laws to protect healthcare staff. That deficiency must be addressed.”

Lal stays in intensive care, reportedly bettering however nonetheless on ventilator help. Meanwhile, Scantlebury stays behind bars as authorized proceedings proceed.