67-year-old Leelamma Lal was brutally attacked by one of her patients in a Florida hospital when the patient punched her multiple times in the face, breaking all the bones in her face. A 67-year-old Indian-origin nurse, who was brutally beaten up by a patient at the Palms West Hospital in Florida, US, is likely to lose her eyesight permanently because of the gravity of her injuries.
Leelamma Lal, 67, was brutally assaulted by a psychiatric patient at the hospital and was taken into intensive care. The suspect, 33-year-old Stephen Scantlebury, is charged with attempted second-degree murder and is also facing a hate crime enhancement. He is being held in police custody without bail.
As per a statement issued by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, a team was sent to the location, after which they concluded that the male patient perpetrated “aggravated battery” on the nurse, who was left critically hurt with broken bones in her face.
According to reports, the witnesses informed the deputies that Scantlebury was lying in a hospital bed on the third floor when he jumped up onto the bed and leapt on Lal, pounding her with his fists over and over and breaking every bone on her face.
Lal was admitted to St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach with a brain bleed and was reported to be in stable condition. However, she may suffer from permanent blindness, reports indicate. Stephen Scantlebury, born on April 30, 1991, fled from the hospital after the incident but was later arrested and charged with attempted murder and hate crime enhancement.
Sheriff’s Sergeant Beth Newcomb disclosed the suspect admitting: “Indians are bad. I just beat the s*** out of an Indian doctor,” according to The Palm Beach Post. The suspect appeared in court on Tuesday, when he entered a plea of not guilty.
Hate crime enhancements, when established, may lead to tougher sentences upon sentencing. They make the defendant’s motive and community impact more known, as claimed by the Sheriff’s Office.
