A man who viciously attacked an Indian-origin nurse in Florida made racially charged remarks during his arrest, stating, “Indians are bad. I just beat the s*** out of an Indian doctor,” as reported by a police officer who testified in court.
The suspect, identified as 33-year-old Stephen Scantlebury, was a patient at HCA Florida Palms West Hospital when he assaulted 67-year-old nurse Leelamma Lal in the psychiatric ward on February 19. The attack left Lal with multiple fractures, particularly on her face.
Scantlebury’s racist outburst was revealed by Sergeant Beth Newcomb of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, who testified against him in a circuit court at the Palm Beach County Courthouse.
According to Sgt. Newcomb, Scantlebury fled from the hospital without a shirt and still had medical leads attached to his chest. She recalled him saying, “Indians are bad. I just beat the s*** out of an Indian doctor.”
One local news outlet reported, “Scantlebury beat nurse Leelamma Lal so badly that ‘essentially every bone’ was broken in her face.”
Following the attack, Scantlebury was arrested and charged with attempted murder with a hate-crime enhancement.
Law enforcement officials who were at the scene at the time of his arrest noted that Scantlebury was shirtless, barefoot, and had EKG leads still attached to his body. He had been admitted to the hospital under the Florida Baker Act, a law that allows individuals to be hospitalized for mental health evaluations if they are deemed a threat to themselves or others.
In the aftermath of the attack, there has been widespread support for Lal and increasing calls for stricter safety protocols in hospitals.
A petition advocating for tougher penalties against those who assault healthcare workers quickly gained momentum, gathering over 9,500 signatures in just two days.
The Hindu American Foundation also addressed the incident, 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.”
The Indian Nurses Association of South Florida also strongly condemned the attack, emphasizing that the issue extends beyond this single case and affects all medical professionals. Advisory board chair Dr. Manju Samuel highlighted the lack of specific laws protecting healthcare workers, stating, “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.”