Florida man accused of blinding nurse in brutal hospital beating faces hate crime enhancement charge
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- A Florida man accused in the savage beating of a nurse faces a hate crime enhancement to second-degree attempted murder charges.
- Stephen Scantlebury was a Baker Act patient at a Palm Beach hospital when the beating took place.
- A probable cause affidavit stated that essentially every bone in the nurse’s face was broken during the beating, and she would likely be blind.
PALM BEACH, Fla. – A patient who investigators say broke essentially every bone in a nurse’s face, likely leaving her blind, now faces a hate crime enhancement charge in addition to an attempted second-degree murder charge.
Florida nurse savagely beaten by patient
The backstory:
According to a probable cause affidavit, the nurse was caring for 33-year-old Stephen Scantlebury, a patient who was at Palms West Hospital under a Baker Act, when he attacked her.
The document shows that a witness said Scantlebury jumped on top of his bed and then on top of the nurse.
That witness ran out of the room to get help and when they went back to the room with someone else, the affidavit states that Scantlebury was seen punching the nurse in the face repeatedly while she was on the floor.
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Documents show that when one of the witnesses yelled at Scantlebury, he stopped hitting the nurse and ran out of the room, through the hallway, down a stairwell, across the parking lot and into traffic, where he was taken into custody by responding deputies.
Stephen Scantlebury is accused of beating a nurse so severely that he essentially broke every bone in her face, according to an affidavit. Image is courtesy of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
The nurse was taken to another hospital by trauma helicopter in critical condition.
Medical staff stated that essentially every bone in the victim’s face was broken, and she would likely lose the use of both eyes.
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Scantlebury was arrested and underwent a medical clearance. A third witness said Scantlebury had been acting paranoid for the last two days, blaming people in his life for events they had nothing to do with, according to the affidavit.
Hate crime enhancement
What we know:
Hate crime enhancements, if proven, can result in harsher penalties upon conviction. They highlight the motive behind the defendant’s actions and their broader impact on the community.
What we don’t know:
Investigators have not said why Scantlebury is facing the hate crime enhancement charge.
Hospital patient charged after ‘brutally’ attacking nurse, breaking ‘every bone’ in her face, deputies say
By Michael Hoffman, WPLG via CNN Newsource
Published: Feb. 21, 2025 at 1:38 AM GMT+7
PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. (WPLG) – A hospital nurse in Florida was seriously injured when a patient brutally attacked her, according to authorities.
The patient, identified as 33-year-old Stephen Scantlebury, is now facing charges for attempted murder.
EN ESPAÑOL: Acusan a paciente de ataque brutal a enfermera
The Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office said the attack happened at HCA Florida Palms West Hospital on Tuesday afternoon.
Deputies were called to a patient room on the third floor of the hospital and found the nurse critically injured.
Deputies said Scantlebury ran out of the hospital and into traffic. Video shows him running on the highway, shirtless, with what appears to be EKG leads still attached to his chest.
Deputies were able to arrest Scantlebury, who is now undergoing medical clearance and faces one count of attempted murder.
The nurse was transported to St. Mary’s Hospital in West Palm Beach for treatment.
According to an affidavit, “essentially every bone in the victim’s face is broken and the victim is likely to lose the use of both eyes.”
Detectives are still investigating.
HCA Florida Healthcare said in a statement Tuesday night:
“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. The attack on our nursing colleague happened within a matter of seconds and was witnessed by multiple people who came to assist. 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.”
Copyright 2025 WPLG via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.
Nurse attacked by patient ‘likely to lose use of both eyes’; suspect accused of hate crime
by Skyler Shepard | Katie BenteWed, February 19, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Updated Sat, February 22, 2025 at 8:36 AM
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The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) said Stephen Eric Scantlebury, 33, faces attempted second-degree murder following a violent attack on a nurse at HCA Palms West Hospital. The arrest occurred on February 18 at the hospital on Southern Boulevard at around 1:20 p.m. (PBSO)
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- Nurse attack
- Critical condition
- Attempted murder
- Palm Beach County
- Stephen Eric Scantlebury
- HCA Palms West Hospital
- Severe injuries
- Baker Act
LOXAHATCHEE, Fla. (CBS12) — New details were released on Wednesday in the attack on a nurse by one of her patients that left her in critical condition.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) said Stephen Eric Scantlebury, 33, faces attempted second-degree murder following a violent attack on a nurse at HCA Palms West Hospital. The arrest occurred on February 18 at the hospital on Southern Boulevard at around 1:20 p.m. On Thursday morning, PBSO revealed a hate crime enhancement is being added, which could result in a harsher penalty if he were convicted.
Witnesses reported that Scantlebury, who was a patient under a Baker Act, jumped on his bed and attacked the nurse, repeatedly striking her in the face. The nurse sustained severe injuries, with nearly every bone in her face broken and a high likelihood of losing the use of both eyes, according to the arrest report. Due to the severity of the injuries, the nurse was airlifted to St. Mary’s Medical Center Trauma Center in West Palm Beach for emergency treatment.
Multiple hospital staff members witnessed the attack and PBSO said, Scantlebury’s departure from the hospital. The incident was captured on the hospital’s camera system. Cellphone video obtained by CBS12 News shows Scantlebury walking outside in the middle of Southern Boulevard before being taken into custody. The witnesses, who recorded the video, described seeing several nurses running towards Scantlebury, highlighting the urgency of the situation.
HCA Florida Healthcare issued a statement expressing concern for the injured nurse and support for the hospital staff. They acknowledged the quick response of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and their cooperation with the ongoing investigation.
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Witnesses noted that Scantlebury had been acting paranoid in the days leading up to the incident, blaming others for events they were not involved in. Scantlebury did not provide a statement following his arrest.
Based on the evidence collected from the investigation, PBSO said Scantlebury “did unlawfully attempt the killing of the victim, when perpetrated by intentionally beating the victim in an act imminently dangerous to the victim and evincing a depraved mind regardless of human life, although without any premeditated design to effect the death of the victim.”auto640x360, 1165kbps854x480, 1715kbps1280x720, 3365kbps0.25×0.5xnormal1.5x2x
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) said Stephen Eric Scantlebury, 33, faces attempted second-degree murder following a violent attack on a nurse at HCA Palms West Hospital. The arrest occurred on February 18 at the hospital on Southern Boulevard at around 1:20 p.m. CBS12’s Katie Bente reports. (WPEC){ }
A major question remains—why was Scantlebury, a Baker Act patient, at Palms West in the first place?
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Palms West is not one of Palm Beach County’s five designated Baker Act receiving facilities.
Mark Astor, a Baker Act attorney, says that raises serious concerns.
“If he did not need medical attention, and deputies took him to that facility knowing it was not designated for psychiatric holds, we need to know why,” Astor said. “Are they saying there were no other beds in the county? That would be the first time I’ve ever heard of that.”
Palm Beach County has been grappling with a mental health crisis since the 2019 closure of the Jerome Golden Center for Behavioral Health.
Just last month, county commissioners approved $10 million in funding toward building a new crisis center, but experts say if the issue is bed shortages, the fix is still years away.
“Let’s give the deputies the benefit of the doubt. Let’s say there were no other beds available, and this was just the nearest place to take him,” Astor said. “Then, knowing that this was not a facility that could cope with a mentally unstable patient—he shouldn’t have been taken there.”
It’s still unclear who brought the Scantlebury to Palms West.
A statement sent from HCA Florida Care to CBS12 News states:
HCA Florida Palms West Hospital is not a Baker Act receiving facility and patient privacy laws prevent us from discussing specific cases.
However, if a patient comes to the hospital for a medical condition (i.e. the flu, a broken bone, chest pains) and starts to exhibit signs or certain behaviors, a mental health assessment is performed to determine if the patient qualifies for a Baker Act designation.
This attack has also reignited concerns over workplace violence in hospitals—something nurses say is getting worse.
Jane Thomason, Lead Industrial Hygienist with National Nurses United, says many nurses expect to be attacked at some point in their careers.
“It’s a lot of anxiety, a lot of fear, a lot of pressure to go into work every day,” Thomason said. “Knowing that workplace violence will happen at some point. It’s a part of the disease process for many patients.”
But in this case, was the nurse even trained to handle a Baker Act patient?
Dr. Daniel Bober, Chief of Psychiatry at Memorial Regional Healthcare in Broward County, says that could have made a difference.
“Very often, families will bring their loved ones to a hospital that may not be a Baker Act receiving facility, and they end up in the emergency department,” Bober said. “And the staff there are dealing with them the same way they would deal with any patient. And if they have a severe mental illness, the staff may not be equipped or trained to deal with them, and that puts them at greater risk for being assaulted.”
At designated psychiatric facilities, Bober says nurses receive specialized training in de-escalation and work in environments built for safety—including panic buttons and controlled access areas.
“They know how to diffuse confrontation,” Bober said. “They have certain physical environments they work in. They have access to panic buttons and things like that. So they are used to dealing with violent, aggressive patients.”
A GoFundMe was created to help with the victim’s medical expenses which includes ICU-level care and multiple facial reconstructive surgeries.
