INDIANAPOLIS (Scripps News Indianapolis) — Former NFL quarterback and current analyst Mark Sanchez is now facing a felony battery charge following his arrest in a downtown Indianapolis incident.
Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said prosecutors upgraded the battery charge, which carries a sentence of 1-6 years, once they became aware of the victim’s medical condition.
FILE – Mark Sanchez walks on the field before an NFL football game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong, File)
Sanchez, 38, was initially charged with battery resulting in injury, public intoxication and unlawful entry of a motor vehicle after confronting a 69-year-old truck driver in an alley early Saturday morning.
According to an amended probable cause affidavit, Sanchez allegedly approached the truck driver, who works for a company servicing fryer oil at the Westin Hotel loading dock. Surveillance video allegedly shows Sanchez telling the driver he couldn’t park there and climbing into the truck cab without permission.
When the victim tried to call his manager, Sanchez reportedly blocked him from getting his phone. The situation escalated when Sanchez allegedly shoved the driver, who then pepper-sprayed Sanchez in self-defense.
MORE | Victim files civil suit against Mark Sanchez, Fox Corporation
The victim told police he thought “this guy is trying to kill me” and pulled a knife, stabbing Sanchez multiple times during the fight. The victim said he was thrown into a dumpster and fell onto pallets on the ground. While on the ground, he said he could only see Sanchez’s feet coming at him, making him realize it was a “life-or-death situation.”
The victim said he somehow made it back to his feet, and when Sanchez came at him again, he stabbed Sanchez “the last time.” Sanchez then looked at him with “a look of shock,” slowly turned around and fled north through the alley.
According to the affidavit, the victim suffered a severe laceration that penetrated all the way through his left cheek.
A knife was recovered from the victim’s truck through a search warrant. Prosecutors are not seeking charges against him, having deemed his actions to be self-defense.
MORE | Fox Sports analyst Mark Sanchez booked at Marion County Jail
Sanchez, who was in Indianapolis to call Sunday’s Raiders-Colts game, was found at Loughmiller’s Pub with stab wounds to his upper right torso and taken to Eskenazi Hospital in critical condition. He was hospitalized in the ICU under police supervision.
Court records show he posted a $300 bond. He has an initial hearing scheduled for Tuesday, October 7; however, his attorneys have filed a motion to waive it.
Mears said the investigation is still in early stages and officials are waiting for search warrants to be processed.
“This incident should never have happened,” Mears said. “What began as a disagreement between a 38-year-old former professional athlete and a 69-year-old man should not have escalated into violence or left anyone seriously injured.”
IMPD initially announced Sanchez’s arrest on Saturday evening, after FOX reported that Sanchez was injured in Indianapolis.
This story was originally published by Scripps News Indianapolis, an E.W. Scripps Company.
