A nurse could face permanent blindness after an alleged random assault by a “paranoid” Baker acted Florida patient.
According to an arrest affidavit from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, the suspect was identified as 33-year-old Stephen Eric Scantlebury.
Baker acted Florida patient maimed nurse
He had been admitted to HCA Florida Palms West Hospital under the Baker Act, which allows individuals to be involuntarily detained and assessed for mental health conditions. Scantlebury was receiving treatment at the time of the incident.
At approximately 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 18, 67-year-old nurse Leelamma Lal entered Scantlebury’s third-floor hospital room.
Witnesses described a sudden and startling scene as Scantlebury allegedly “jumped on top of his bed, and then jumped onto and attacked the victim.”
According to reports, Scantlebury pummeled Lal’s face in as he towered over her. A witness shouted at him to stop, at which point he fled the room.
Allegedly, the suspect dashed down the hallway, entered a stairwell, descended to the first floor, and ran from the hospital building.
Eyewitnesses claimed that Scantlebury, noticeably shirtless and still wearing EKG monitor patches, was seen running across the parking lot before sprinting into traffic on Southern Boulevard.
Video footage captured deputies pointing what appeared to be Tasers or stun guns at Scantlebury as they ordered him to lie down in the middle of the road. He complied, and deputies subsequently arrested him.
Beaten nurse airlifted in critical condition
Lal suffered severe injuries and was airlifted to another hospital. Medical professionals stated, “essentially every bone in the victim’s face is broken, and the victim is likely to lose the use of both eyes.”
She was transferred to St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach and was last reported to be in critical condition.
Authorities revealed that in the days leading up to the attack, Scantlebury exhibited signs of paranoia, accusing people in his life of events unrelated to them. This behavior led officials to detain him under the Baker Act.
Facing charges of attempted murder, Scantlebury appeared in court on Wednesday but remained silent throughout the hearing.
“This was a very tragic situation that happened,” said Adam Rossen, Scantlebury’s attorney. “For what we know right now, Mr. Scantlebury was ‘Baker Acted’ by Palms West hospital when he had already admitted himself to the hospital.”
The defense team speculated on the circumstances surrounding Scantlebury’s mental state and hospital stay.
“Why, if he was Baker Acted, was he not transported? What was the medical concern? What wasn’t? We don’t know all of that. There’s a lot that happened. What medication was he on when he was ‘Baker Acted?’” questioned Scott Simmons, another attorney representing Scantlebury.
Adding to the growing concerns, Lal’s daughter spoke during the hearing, urging the judge to hold Scantlebury without bond.
“I just couldn’t get the image of him on top of my mom beating her repeatedly. It was really hard to see that in my heart. Something you’re probably never going to get rid of,” said Dr. Cindy Joseph, Lal’s daughter.
HCA Florida Healthcare addressed the tragedy in a public statement, noting that the assault “happened within a matter of seconds.”
The statement continued, “Our primary concern is with our beloved colleague, and we are praying for her recovery. We are also providing support to our hospital staff who are understandably shaken by this incident.”
CEO makes questionable comments after Baker acted Florida patient beats nurse
Adding to the controversy, WPTV obtained a 911 call from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office that seemed to contradict that statement.
The caller, identifying himself as the CEO of Palms West, stated, “We had a Baker Act patient that beat a staff member unconscious, now running around the building.”
During the interaction, the dispatcher asked, “You said they assaulted the employee and they passed out?” The CEO responded, “Yeah, unconscious. I’m not worried about that part, I need the Baker Act dealt with.”
Later in the call, the CEO added, “This could be nearly a fatality.”
Joseph expressed deep hurt after hearing the hospital leader’s comments. “I couldn’t imagine how heartless that was,” she remarked. “How could they say that they didn’t care about her, or they cared more about the Baker Act patient than their own nurse, who’s been there with them for, you know, 20 years?”
“And then the comment at the end about how she’s probably going to die. That really, really, really hurt me and really hit hard,” Joseph added.
Scantlebury’s defense team stated that while they are not excusing the assault, they are raising questions about the hospital’s handling of the situation.
Simmons commented, “And if the hospital did fail, that obviously accounts into a lot of things when you’re talking about mental health and why this happened.”
He continued, “You know, was there security in his room? Was he properly medicated? If he should have [followed] the policies and procedures that he should have been sedated or restrained? And why wasn’t he, if he was supposed to?”
