Palms West Hospital Releases Statement on 911 Call Made During Nurse’s Brutal Attack

>> A GoFundMe account has been set up for Nurse Leelama Lal - click here to donate.

Update 3/6/2025

67-year-old nurse Leelama Lal was beaten nearly to death by patient Stephen Scantlebuy. The beating was so severe that Lal was expected to lose the use of both eyes, and every bone in her face was broken. Scantlebuy faces attempted second-degree murder charges and a hate-crime enhancement. A 911 call made by the hospital CEO was released by local news outlets and sparked outrage. Here is the audio. 

Palms West Hospital sent local news WPBF a statement regarding the 911 call, 

"Immediately after the attack, our primary focus was providing care to our injured colleague and getting her to our hospital's emergency department. After ensuring she was getting the life-saving care she needed, our CEO, who is a trained paramedic and assisted in providing initial care, called 911."

"To be clear, the purpose of the call to 911 was to quickly notify the police of the immediate threat and to make sure the attacker was captured and did not hurt anyone else. It is unfortunate that some are mischaracterizing the call as something other than an emergency response to help ensure the safety of everyone in our hospital."

Update 2/24/2025

Nurse Leela's daughter shared heartbreaking photos of her injuries on Facebook and is asking for support from the nursing community. 

A brutal attack against a nurse inside Palms West Hospital has sparked outrage, not just for the terrifying violence but for the 911 call that was released- featuring remarks a hospital administrator made during the incident.

According to exclusive 911 recordings obtained by investigative reporter Terri Parker, the chaos unfolded when a psychiatric patient on a Baker Act hold viciously attacked Lal, leaving her unconscious and bleeding on the floor. As panicked staff and visitors barricaded themselves inside rooms, desperate calls for help flooded emergency dispatchers.

While first responders scrambled to the scene, hospital administrators urgently called for backup -- and some of the audio has been released to local news. 

Here's the audio: 

Hospital Administrator 911 Call Transcript

Hospital Administrator: "We had a Baker Act beat a staff member unconscious, now running around the building."

911 Dispatcher: "You said they assaulted the employee until they passed out?"
Hospital Administrator: "Yeah, unconscious. I'm not worried about that part. I need the Baker Act dealt with."

Not worried about that part. As the dispatcher sought more details, the administrator added a chilling remark:

"I'm not sure—she's probably going to die."

Witness 911 Calls

Meanwhile, terrified visitors hid in fear as the assailant roamed the halls, some bracing against doors to prevent the suspect from entering.

Caller: "I'm in Palms West Hospital. I'm on the third floor. There's some guy in there that's nuts."

911 Dispatcher: "Does he have any weapons on him?"
Caller: "I don't know. We slammed the door shut. Me and my sister are standing up against the door so he could not come in here if he tried. They’re still carrying on, this has been going on for over five minutes. It's chaos - it's absolute chaos."

One hospital visitor frantically relayed the horror to a 911 dispatcher:

911 Dispatcher: "Where is the injured nurse?"
Caller: "On the floor... Is she bleeding? Yes."

The chaos spilled outside the hospital as well. A startled driver called 911 after spotting the suspect running down Southern Boulevard, still clad in hospital-issued shorts and trailing medical leads.

Caller: "There's a person standing in the middle of the road with literally just shorts on and leads stuck on him from the hospital. Right in front of a postal driver. Forced him to stop the car in the middle of Southern Blvd."

Authorities arrested Stephen Eric Scantlebury and charged him with attempted murder. He was taken into custody still shirtless, walking along Southern Boulevard with his hospital leads attached. Meanwhile, the nurse remains in critical condition at St. Mary's Medical Center, intubated, sedated, and fighting for her life.

The response from hospital leadership has sparked outrage, with nurses and healthcare workers demanding answers. The nurse’s daughter, a physician, expressed heartbreak over her mother’s injuries and fury over the hospital’s handling of the situation.

“Seeing her like this, as her child, it's very heartbreaking,” Cindy told Parker. "And it's something that could have been prevented."

Attorney Response

While Scantlebury’s attorney argues this was a mental health crisis and that the full story has yet to be told, the United Healthcare Workers East union is demanding accountability.

"As this awful incident is more closely investigated, we call on HCA, local agencies, and other officials to be fully transparent on how it occurred and to avoid the possibility of future tragedies. This must also include an honest examination of public mental health policy and the overall state of our healthcare system."

Stay with us for updates on this developing story.

🤔Nurses, have you experienced violence at work? Share your thoughts in the discussion forum below.