Suspect stabs a man after an altercation in a North Naples parking lot

An arrested Naples man is suspected of stabbing another person during an altercation in the parking lot of a sporting goods retail store Wednesday.

The suspect, Kenneth Wilkinson, 34, faces charges of Aggravated Battery With a Deadly Weapon by the Collier County Sheriff’s Office.

A CCSO Deputy arrived in the North Naples parking lot after being advised of a male being stabbed with a knife, Ronald Ankney, to his lungs, who was then airlifted to Lee Memorial Hospital.

Wilkinson was placed in custody after an attempt to flee. The Deputy would read him his Miranda rights, but the Naples man would speak freely, per the CCSO arrest report. In custody of a CCSO cruiser, Wilkinson said he met Ankney and his girlfriend, Brooke Smith, in the Dicks Sporting Goods Store while shopping with a friend, Atiba Walden.

When they were in the parking lot, Wilkinson said moments after he was repeatedly punched and held in a headlock by Ankney while Smith was kicking him, he would stab Ankney in self-defense. The Deputy, however, said he did not see any bruising on Wilkinson’s body, the arrest report states.

Walden said the victim verbally expressed anger towards Wilkinson, accusing him of shoplifting. Her account in the arrest report states following the verbal altercation, Wilkinson was the aggressor as he would punch the victim two times with his hand before fleeing. But she did not realize the victim was stabbed until he told Walden.

Smith corroborated with Walden’s account while adding she saw Wilkinson remove the knife from his shorts, then in a swing motion stab the victim in the back.

When the Deputy spoke with Wilkinson again, he noted that the Naples man did not have any evidence to substantiate his claim. Also, Wilkinson’s description of the stabbing was similar to Smith’s account. Wilkinson would admit to stealing a knife from the sporting goods retail store, the arrest report states.

Wilkinson was transported to NJC.