Collier County man accused of robbing store, striking deputy with car

Collier County deputies say a convicted felon robbed a convenience store early Thursday morning, struck a deputy with his car and stabbed himself before being arrested.

According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, Backslay Leonard, 29, entered the Circle K store at 1998 Santa Barbara Blvd. shortly after 4 a.m. He waited outside the store until all the customers were gone before approaching the clerk with his right hand under his shirt, implying he was armed. He demanded the clerk’s car keys and money from the register.

Leonard took the clerk’s vehicle and an undisclosed amount of cash. Deputies spotted him making a U-turn at the intersection of Logan Boulevard and Vanderbilt Beach Road and Leonard ignored deputies’ attempts to pull him over. During the pursuit, deputies watched him throw money out his window.

A deputy maneuvered his patrol vehicle against the stolen car, bringing it to a stop in the area of Collier and Green boulevards. While deputies were attempting to take Leonard into custody, he backed into a patrol car, damaging the front bumper, tthen accelerated and struck a deputy who was walking toward him. The deputy sustained injuries to his head, neck and arm. Another deputy also sustained an arm injury while trying to take Leonard into custody.

It took three deputies to remove Leonard from the vehicle. He had stab wounds to his abdomen and deputies found a large kitchen knife in the vehicle. Leonard was flown by medical helicopter to a hospital in Fort Myers where he was treated and released before being booked into the Collier County jail.

Leonard is a convicted felon in Florida and has previous arrests on his record for robbery and grand theft auto in Collier County. He now faces multiple felony charges, including armed robbery with a firearm, grand theft auto, aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, and fleeing and eluding.