Was it a hate crime? – Firstpost

In a heartbreaking crime that has shaken the medical community in the United States, a 67 -year -old Indian nurse Leelamma Lal was brutally attacked by a patient inside a Florida hospital, leaving her bloody with mortal facial injuries.

The suspect, Stephen Scantlebury, 33, was arrested and accused of second degree murder attempt. Prosecutors have also added an improvement in hate crime, citing racist comments that it allegedly made about the Indian inheritance of LAL during the vicious attack.

This is what we know about the situation so far.

What happened?

The horrible attack took place when Lal, a nurse for a long time at Palms West hospital, entered Scantlebury’s room on the third floor to see it.

According to an affidavit of arrest cited by the local media WPBF“Scantlebury was a psychiatric patient in a law of Baker’s law”, which essentially provides hospitalization to people to evaluate their mental health and address any immediate crisis.

Eye witnesses say that as soon as Lal entered the room, Scantlebury suddenly jumped over his bed and threw a violent attack, hitting it repeatedly without prior notice. The assault was so brutal that “essentially all the bones on the face of Lal were broken,” authorities said.

The nurse of Indian origin was disfigured after the brutal attack by the patient in the United States hospital

Leelamma Lal, 67, stayed with severe facial fractures. Stephen Scantlebury (33) has been arrested and faces charges of second degree murder attempt and hate crimes, supposedly … pic.twitter.com/prpg7olwjb

– RT_india (@RT_india_News) March 3, 2025

After the assault, the nurse was immediately transferred to the closest trauma center at the St Mary Medical Center and is now in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The authorities say that the victim can permanently lose his eyes.

Lal’s daughter, Cindy Joseph, was surprised to see her mother in the state. “I couldn’t recognize her,” he said. “Both eyes were swollen, he intubated, his entire face on the right side was swollen, multiple fractures throughout his face, bleeding in the brain.”

Joseph added that his mother will require surgery and weeks of hospitalization to recover.

“This is going to change the rest of his future forever, and he is 67 years old,” he said CBS news. “She has, with her health, more than 20 years old, and should not have to spend them in the way she will have to spend them.”

‘The Indians are bad’

After the attack, the deputy sergeant of Palm Beach County, Beth Newcomb, testified in the court that listened to Stephen Scantlebury to make a disturbing comment about Lal, “the Indians are bad” and “I just hit the shit of an Indian doctor.”

Their statements led prosecutors to add an improvement in hate crime to their second degree murder attempt.

By explaining the importance of this position, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office declared: “The improvements in hate crimes, if demonstrated, can result in more severe sanctions after the conviction. They highlight the reason behind the accused’s actions and their broader impact on the community. “

After the assault, the police say they caught Scantlebury fleeing while running along a nearby path. It was found without a shirt, without shoes and covered with EKG cables.

His wife, Megan Scantlebury, testified in the Court last week that he had been acting paranoid in the days before the incident.

“He thought there were people trying to damage him,” Megan said in court. “He thought our house was disturbed, that there were people listening. He thought he was involved. He thought the neighbors were involved. “

During the hearing, defense lawyers requested that the suspect be transferred to a mental health center, however, the judge denied the request, qualifying it as “premature.”

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‘There are no specific laws to protect health workers’

Since the brutal attack on Leelamma Lal, there has been a lot of support for her, along with the growing demands of stricter security measures in hospitals.

A petition that asks for harder sanctions for those who attack health workers have won traction, gathering more than 9,500 signatures in just two days.

The American Hindu Foundation also condemned the attack, publishing in X: “A patient in a Florida hospital is in custody after seriously injuring the nurse, Leela Lal, mocking that” the Indians are bad “and” I only beat the shit of that Indian doctor. “The intensified anti-india rhetoric is endangering lives.

The Indian Nurses Association of South Florida echoed similar concerns, noting that this is not only an isolated case but a broader security problem for medical staff.

“The problem here is the risk for our health workers because there are no specific laws to protect staff,” said Dr. Manju Samuel, president of the Association Advisory Board. “There is a deficiency, and that must be addressed by legislators.”

Lal’s daughter, Cindy Joseph, expressed deep frustration for the situation, saying Newspaper which was “really disappointed with the system.”

“My mother has been working there for more than 20 years; She has dedicated her entire career to the hospital. The fact that this happened in a medical care center, which should have adequate security, is beyond me, ”he said.

LAL, who remains in intensive care, is now stable. Meanwhile, Scantlebury remains behind bars as legal procedures advance.

With contributions from agencies