A man accused of brutally assaulting a nurse at a Palm Beach County hospital will remain behind bars as he awaits trial, a judge ruled during a pre-trial detention hearing on Thursday.
Stephen Scantlebury, 33, of Wellington, allegedly attacked 67-year-old nurse Leelamma Lal at HCA Florida Palms West Hospital last Tuesday, leaving her with severe injuries. Authorities said Lal suffered extensive fractures to her face, a collarbone fracture, and brain bleeding, according to WFLX.
During the hearing, Palm Beach County Deputy Sgt. Beth Newcomb testified that after the attack, 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 mother’s injuries in court: “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 attack, which reportedly lasted between one to two minutes, was captured on hospital surveillance footage.
Scantlebury, who was a patient at the hospital at the time, had sought treatment for an issue unrelated to mental health. However, WFLX reported that in the days leading up to the incident, he had been experiencing paranoia. His wife, Megan Scantlebury, testified in court that he believed their home was being bugged and that he was under surveillance.
Defense attorneys requested that Scantlebury be transferred to a mental health facility, but the judge denied the request, calling it premature. He will remain in custody without bond on charges of attempted second-degree murder with a hate crime enhancement.
The attack has sparked renewed calls for better protections for healthcare workers. A petition demanding stricter safety measures and harsher penalties for those who assault medical staff has gained over 10,000 signatures in just three days, WFLX reported.
Dr. Cheryl Thomas-Harcum, one of the petition’s organizers, voiced her concerns: “I looked at Leela. I looked at her as helpless. I looked at her as a woman that had devoted her life to this profession, and at the tail end of her career, she had to sustain something so vicious.”
The Indian Nurses Association of South Florida echoed these concerns. Advisory board chair Dr. Manju Samuel stressed the need for legal safeguards: “The issue here is the risk to our healthcare workers. Because there are no specific laws to protect the staff, there is a deficiency, and that must be addressed by lawmakers.”
As Lal continues her recovery—her condition reportedly improving but still requiring ventilator support—Scantlebury remains in jail, awaiting further legal proceedings.
