Nurse Leelamma aka Leela Lal was almost killed by Stephen Scantlebury
“Indians are bad,” declared Stephen Scantlebury who viciously attacked a nurse of Indian descent in Florida. In court, a police officer testified him saying, “I just beat the sh*t out of an Indian doctor.”
Who is Leelamma aka Leela Lal as Indian origin nurse is attacked by Stephen Scantlebury of Wellington in Florida Palms West Hospital
On February 19, 67-year-old Indian origin Leelamma Lal was attacked in the psychiatric ward at HCA Florida Palms West Hospital by the attacker, a patient who was identified as 33-year-old Stephen Scantlebury. During the attack, she had suffered several fractures, particularly on her face.
Leelamma Lal, 67, dreamt of becoming a nurse since she was child and pushed through almost eight years of school and clinical training to achieve that goal while raising three children, her daughter, Cindy Joseph said. Lal spent nearly 20 years in health care, becoming one of the oldest nurses on her floor at Palms West Hospital in Palm Beach, Florida.
I WARNED you. I warned every single one of you in our community about the escalating hate, the venomous rhetoric that you all dismissed as “just words.” You told me it wouldn’t translate into real-world violence, that it was all harmless venting. Look at the face of Leelamma Lal,… https://t.co/CZatf74hIC pic.twitter.com/vdSuvh0ueq
— Vasant Bhatt 🇺🇸 (@vasantbhatt14) March 3, 2025
Beth Newcomb, a sergeant with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, testified against Stephen Scantlebury at his trial in a circuit court at the Palm Beach County Courthouse, exposing his racist tirade.
Sgt. Newcomb claims that Scantlebury informed her, “Indians are bad,” as he ran out of Palms West Hospital shirtless and with medical leads still fastened to his chest. I just gave an Indian doctor a severe beating.
During a racist incident at Palms West Hospital, a patient nearly killed the Indian-origin nurse by beating her. “Stephen Scantlebury beat nurse Leelamma Lal so badly that ‘essentially every bone’ was broken in her face,” according to one local news story.
Canadian citizen Stephen Eric Scantlebury, aged 33 of Wellington was seen as he tried to force his way into a passing car after escaping from Palms West Hospital, Florida where police say he brutally attacked a nurse.
Scantlebury, who had been acting paranoid for days, checked himself into Palms West Hospital last week, complaining of chest pains and once admitted, he was placed under a Baker Act hold for mental evaluation and then sent upstairs to a regular patient room.
That’s when he viciously attacked 67-year-old nurse Leela Lal on the third floor, beating her nearly to death and Lal remains on a ventilator with severe injuries.
This is not Scantlebury’s first violent offense as in 2018, he was convicted of assault in Charlottetown, Canada, after punching his child’s grandfather in the face and trying to slam a car trunk on his head and served 30 days in jail. With Scantlebury being in his early 30s, his lawyers argued he is well within the age range that some psychiatric conditions develop.
Stephan Scantlebury made racist remark
"Indians are bad" and "I just beat the sh*t out of that Indian doctor" and then hen attacked a 67-year-old Indian-origin nurse, Leelamma Lal at a Palm Beach County hospital in the USA's Florida.The racist attacker had escaped the… pic.twitter.com/5aNjRUv5A5
— Āryā_Anvikṣā 🪷 (@Arya_Anviksha_) March 3, 2025
While he awaits trial, the man who is suspected of viciously assaulting Leelamma Lal at the HCA Florida Palms West Hospital last Tuesday will stay behind bars.
Scantlebury was charged with attempted murder with a hate crime enhancement and taken into custody soon after the event.
Law officers at the site said that he was covered in EKG leads, without shoes or a shirt, at the time of his arrest. According to sources, he was brought to the hospital under the Florida Baker’s Act, which basically allows people to be admitted for the purpose of evaluating their mental health and dealing with any urgent emergencies.
Support for Lal has been overwhelming since the incident, and calls for more stringent hospital safety protocols have also been made.
In just two days, more than 9,500 people have signed a petition for tougher punishments for assaulters of healthcare staff.
The Hindu American Foundation also weighed in on the attack, posting on X: “A patient in a Florida hospital is in custody after critically injuring nurse, Leela Lal, taunting that ‘Indians are bad’ and ‘I just beat the sh– out of that Indian doctor.’ Escalating anti-India rhetoric is endangering lives. It must stop.”
Where is nurse Lal now?
Lal is reportedly receiving treatment for her injuries at St. Mary’s Medical Centre in West Palm Beach, where she is currently in intensive care.
She is likely to lose the use of both her eyes after having nearly every bone in her face broken, one of her eyes is still closed shut and she’s unable to hold a pen.
Indian-Origin Nurse Left Disfigured After Brutal Attack by Patient in US Hospital
67-year-old Leelamma Lal was left with severe facial fractures. Stephen Scantlebury (33) has been arrested and is facing charges of attempted second-degree murder and hate crimes – he allegedly… pic.twitter.com/prpg7OLWJb
— RT_India (@RT_India_news) March 3, 2025