PALM BEACH, Fla. (WJW) — A Florida man is facing attempted murder charges after allegedly attacking a nurse at a hospital where he was being cared for, essentially breaking every bone in her face, police said.
According to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were dispatched to an aggravated battery incident in a patient’s room at Palms West Hospital on Feb. 18.
Deputies determined that a patient, identified as Stephen Scantlebury, had committed aggravated battery against a nurse, the sheriff’s office wrote on social media. The nurse was “critically injured” and taken to a different hospital.
An additional update from the sheriff’s office stated that Scantlebury had been arrested and was undergoing medical clearance.
On Feb. 20, the sheriff’s department, in another update on social media, wrote that a hate crime enhancement had been added to the existing charge of attempted second-degree murder.
“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,” the post said.
According to PEOPLE, police affidavits obtained by Florida media outlets described how Scantlebury allegedly jumped on top of his bed and then onto the nurse and attacked her.
It went on to state that “essentially every bone in the victim’s face is broken,” and additionally, the victim would likely lose the use of both of her eyes.