Man arrested after machete attack in Golden Gate bar

A homeless man was arrested on suspicion of using a machete to attack a man at a bar in Golden Gate on Saturday evening.

Collier County Sheriff’s deputies went to Bamboo Bar, located at 12215 Collier Blvd., after hearing reports of a stabbing around 6:30 p.m. The victim was taken to NCH Downtown for injuries after witnesses say a man with a machete had entered the bar, attacked the victim, and left. Security footage showed the suspect wearing an orange hooded sweater when he attacked the victim, and a matching sweater was found at a nearby Circle K gas station.

According to the incident report, deputies soon after found 38-year-old homeless man Ernesto Leon, who matched descriptions from witnesses as well as the footage recovered from security cameras.

During questioning, deputies say Leon gave revenge as his motive for the attack: While walking along Salt Alley with his laundry earlier on Saturday, several men had supposedly mocked Leon and scattered his laundry about the street while he was busy speaking to an acquaintance. Leon says he saw the man in Bamboo Bar wearing shoes stolen from his laundry and attacked him with the machete, claiming he meant to strike him with the flat side of the blade.

Deputies found a small bag of what turned out to be meth in Leon’s sock when he was searched at the Collier County Jail. He faces charges of aggressive battery with a deadly weapon, possession of a controlled substance and smuggling a controlled substance into a detention facility.