PBSO adds hate crime charge in patient's beating of Palms West nurse that may leave her blind

Yahoo

20-02-2025

ROYAL PALM BEACH — A Wellington man is now facing a possible hate crime charge after his arrest for beating a nurse at HCA Palms West Hospital on Tuesday so badly that he fractured "essentially every bone" in her face and is likely to leave her blind, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.
A spokesperson said investigations into the Feb. 18 attack by Stephen Scantlebury, 33, on a nurse at HCA Palms West Hospital has led the office to enhance his existing charge of attempted second-degree murder.
It did not specify the reason it is seeking to add the hate crime offense to Scantlebury's charges.
"Hate crime enhancements, if proven, can result in harsher penalties upon conviction,' the sheriff's office said in a prepared statement. 'They highlight the motive behind the defendant's actions and their broader impact on the community.'
The nurse, who hasn't been identified by the sheriff's office nor HCA, remained in critical condition Wednesday at St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach after arriving there on a Trauma Hawk helicopter. She is expected to survive her injuries.
Scantlebury, 33, came to Palms West in the days prior to the attack to deal with an ailment the hospital declined to specify, citing patient privacy laws. The sheriff's office said that he had been assessed under the state's Baker Act, which allows a person showing violent or suicidal behavior to be committed involuntarily for up to 72 hours.
Scantlebury's arrest report said he did not provide a statement to investigators.
The attack happened at about 1:20 p.m. Tuesday. According to the police report, the nurse was taking care of Scantlebury in his room on the third floor when he 'inexplicably' jumped on top of his bed and then onto the nurse to attack her, prompting another nurse to look for help.
Witnesses found the nurse lying on the floor and Scantlebury standing over her, hitting her repeatedly in the face with his fists.
After the attack, Scantlebury fled the hospital dressed only in shorts and ran along Southern Boulevard with deputies and nurses chasing behind him prior to his arrest.
Witnesses told deputies he had been acting paranoid in the two days before the attack. He has no record of prior felony arrests in Palm Beach County, according to online court records.
A spokesperson for HCA Florida Palms West said the attack on our "happened within a matter of seconds" and was witnessed by multiple people who came to assist.
"Our primary concern is with our beloved colleague and we are praying for her recovery," wrote the hospital in a prepared statement. "We are also providing support to our hospital staff who are understandably shaken by this incident. We are grateful to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office who acted to detain the suspect and we are assisting law enforcement in their investigation."
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Valentina Palm covers Royal Palm Beach, Wellington, Greenacres, Palm Springs and other western communities in Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post. Email her at [e-mail] and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @ValenPalmB. Support local journalism: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: PBSO adds hate crime charge in patient's beating of Palms West nurse