LOXAHATCHEE, Fla. — WPTV is learning more about a brutal attack on a nurse at a hospital in Palm Beach County that resulted in the arrest of a patient.
The suspect, Stephen Scantlebury, 33, of Wellington faces a charge of attempted second-degree murder in the attack. On Thursday, the sheriff's office said he will also face a hate crime enhancement, which could result in harsher penalties if he is convicted.
WATCH BELOW: Affidavit says 'essentially every bone' broken in nurse's face after attack
According to a probable cause affidavit, that attack occurred at about 1:20 p.m. inside a third-floor patient room at HCA Florida Palms West Hospital.
The suspect was at the hospital under Florida's Baker Act and being cared for by the nurse.
Investigators said Scantlebury "inexplicably" jumped on top of his bed and then jumped onto and attacked the victim.
A witness to the attack then ran out of the room and called for help.
According to the report, when help arrived, a second witness saw Scantlebury standing over the nurse, who was lying on the floor, hitting the victim repeatedly in the face with his fists.
The second witness yelled at the suspect and he stopped hitting the nurse and ran out of the room.
Hospital staff were made aware of the situation as Scantlebury fled across the hospital floor, down a stairwell, across the parking lot and into traffic on Southern Boulevard.
WPTV received a video from a viewer that showed the suspect walking shirtless on Southern Boulevard with what looked to be ECG leads still attached to his chest.
Palm Beach County deputies responded to the scene at took Scantlebury into custody.
The affidavit said the nurse was taken by Trauma Hawk medical helicopter to St. Mary's Medical Center due to the severity of her injuries, which were described as critical.
"Essentially every bone in the victim's face is broken and the victim is likely to lose the use of both eyes," according to the affidavit.
Because of the extent of the victim's injuries, she was unable to provide a statement to investigators.
A third witness told detectives that Scantlebury "has been acting paranoid" for the last two days, blaming people in his life about events they had nothing to do with.
The suspect is scheduled to have his first court appearance on Feb. 25.
Willa Fuller, the executive director of the Florida Nurses Association, said their group has "long been concerned" about the safety of nurses and is seeking "substantive action" to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
Read her full statement below:
"The Florida Nurses Association has long been concerned with the safety of nurses, and while there are OSHA and JCAHO standards in place, this continues to happen across the country. With concern about a longstanding nursing shortage, there needs to be substantive action by ALL stakeholders to prevent this kind of egregious action. We would like to see direct care nurses included in any initiatives related to violence against healthcare workers."
HCA Florida Healthcare released the following statement on the attack:
"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."
