Fox Sports analyst and former NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez has been charged with felony battery after a dispute with a truck driver over a parking spot that resulted in Sanchez being stabbed in downtown Indianapolis early Saturday.
Sanchez, 38, was initially charged with misdemeanor charges of battery with injury, public intoxication, and unlawful entry of a vehicle on Sunday, according to the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office.
On Monday, Sanchez was also charged with battery resulting in serious bodily injury, a level 5 felony, MCPO announced. If found guilty, he faces a potential sentence of one to six years in prison.
“This incident should never have happened,” Marion County Prosecutor Ryan 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. As with any case, we will follow the facts and the law wherever they lead.”
According to a police affidavit, Sanchez, smelling of alcohol, confronted the 69-year-old truck driver while he was parked at a hotel loading dock in downtown Indianapolis around 12:30 a.m. local. Sanchez and the man became involved in a physical dispute, which led to the man pulling out a knife in self-defense. The man pepper sprayed Sanchez before stabbing him in his upper right torso, according to the affidavit. The man also suffered a cut to his left cheek.
“Sanchez is seen running after (the man) and the video shows Mr. Sanchez grabbing and throwing (the man) towards the wall of the Westin,” police wrote in the affidavit.
The man told police that “This guy is trying to kill me,” which prompted him to pull out his knife, and when Sanchez came at him, the man stabbed him two or three times, according to the affidavit. Sanchez then ran away northbound in an alley near Loughmiller’s Pub & Eatery, where responding officers later located him with stab wounds.
Sanchez was rushed to Eskenazi Hospital in critical condition, but was upgraded to stable condition on Sunday, according to the Indy Star. He remained hospitalized and listed in stable condition as of Monday, AP reports.
The man was also transported to Methodist Hospital, where he was treated before being released. He filed a lawsuit on Monday against Sanchez and Fox Corp., seeking compensatory and punitive damages.
Sanchez had been scheduled for a court hearing for his misdemeanor charges on Tuesday, but it was rescheduled to Nov. 4.
Sanchez was in Indianapolis to broadcast the Colts’ home game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday on Fox. He was replaced on the broadcast by Fox football analyst and former Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn.
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