NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
Palm Beach County, FL, February 18, 2025: A 67-year-old Indian American nurse, Leelamma Lal, was brutally assaulted while on duty at Palms West Hospital in Palm Beach County, Florida. The attacker, 33-year-old Stephen Scantlebury, had been admitted under the Baker Act, which allows for involuntary mental health evaluations, after displaying paranoid behavior.
Authorities reported that during his hospitalization, Scantlebury launched a violent attack on Lal, fracturing nearly every bone in her face. Witnesses said that after the assault, he made derogatory remarks about her Indian heritage, including statements like “Indians are bad” and “I just beat the [expletive] out of an Indian doctor.”
Following the incident, Scantlebury was arrested and charged with attempted second-degree murder, with an additional hate crime enhancement. He remains in custody as legal proceedings continue.
Lal’s family has expressed outrage over the attack, questioning hospital security protocols and staff preparedness for handling patients experiencing mental health crises. Her daughter, Cindy Joseph, a physician, has called for hospitals to implement better safety measures and formal de-escalation training for staff to prevent similar incidents.
