INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) - Former NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez was discharged from the hospital and booked into the Marion County Jail on Sunday.
The booking follows his alleged role in [a physical altercation that resulted in him being stabbed in downtown Indianapolis in early October](https://www.21alivenews.com/2025/10/04/former-nfl-qb-mark-sanchez-hospitalized-after-being-stabbed-downtown-indianapolis-report/).
According to a judge’s order, Sanchez had to be booked and fingerprinted before he could travel and leave the state.
Charges were filed by the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office against Sanchez on October 5, and on the following day, Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears announced that a Level 5 felony charge against Sanchez for battery resulting in serious bodily injury would be pursued.
If convicted on the Level 5 felony, Sanchez faces up to one to five years in prison.
The case will now be transferred to the major felony court, which will decide Sanchez’s bond.
“We are literally talking about people fighting over a parking space,” Mears said.
Sanchez also faces misdemeanor charges of battery resulting in injury, public intoxication, and unlawful entry of a motor vehicle.
“I don’t care who you are, what you do for a living — if you come into our city and commit violence, we will use all of our tools in our arsenal to hold you accountable,” said Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) Chief Chris Bailey.
Sanchez’s initial court hearing was scheduled for October 7; however, Sanchez’s lawyers filed a motion to waive Sanchez’s initial hearing and enter a plea of not guilty.
The request was granted by the judge, and a pretrial conference was scheduled for November 4.
Incident
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According to the IMPD, the incident happened around 12:30 a.m. on October 4, when officers were dispatched to a report of a physical disturbance in the [300 block of West Washington Street](https://maps.app.goo.gl/pxcMPWsJUgTgNZd2A).
The department says officers arrived at the scene to find two men, later identified as 69-year-old Perry Tole and 38-year-old Mark Sanchez, injured.
First responders on the scene determined that Tole suffered lacerations while Sanchez sustained ‘injuries consistent with stab wounds’.
As a result, both men were taken to local hospitals to receive medical care.
According to court documents, Tole said in an interview with police that Sanchez approached him in an alley near the scene while he was in a large box truck that was backed into the loading docks of the Westin Indianapolis and Indianapolis Marriott Downtown.
The court documents then identify Tole as an employee for a company that specializes in commercial cooking oil recycling and disposal, and noted that he was working when Sanchez approached him.
In his interview, Tole told police that Sanchez opened the driver’s door of his truck and told him that he couldn’t be at the loading dock.
During the interaction, Tole said he didn’t have his hearing aids in because the truck is “very loud”, so he had to lean in close to Sanchez.
According to Tole, Sanchez smelled of alcohol, and his speech was slurred.
Tole, who was confused by Sanchez, then told Sanchez he needed to contact the hotel manager to figure out what was going on.
That’s when court documents say Sanchez climbed up into the cab of the truck, leaned over the driver’s seat, and looked in toward the middle areas between the seats.
Once Sanchez was inside the vehicle, Tole says he told him he wasn’t allowed to be inside the truck, to which Sanchez then came down.
The court documents say Sanchez then allegedly kept repeating that he spoke to the hotel manager and that Tole did not need to be there. He then proceeded to enter the cab of the truck again.
Tole told police he knew at that time that he had a problem, so he tried to get his cellphone from the truck, but Sanchez blocked him from doing so.
Tole then walked to the front of the truck, to which Sanchez followed him.
After that, Tole says he walked over to the opposite loading dock area of The Westin Indianapolis and Indianapolis Marriott Downtown, in an attempt to flag down nearby security.
Unsuccessful, Tole says he then walked back to the passenger side of the truck, but Sanchez blocked him. He attempted the same thing other side of the vehicle, but was blocked by Sanchez again.
Detectives say in surveillance video from the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown, Sanchez can then be seen grabbing and throwing Tole toward a wall.
When Tole realized he was in physical danger, he says he reached into his pocket and grabbed his pepper spray and sprayed Sanchez in the face.
According to court documents, Sanchez wiped his face and started going toward Tole again, at which point Tole said he thought “this guy is trying to kill me,” so he pulled his knife, and when Sanchez came at him, he struck him with it two or three times.
After the stabbing, court documents say Tole found himself falling back into a dumpster and onto the pallets on the ground and wasn’t aware of what Sanchez was doing to him, whether he was punching him or otherwise striking him.
While Tole was on the ground, court documents say he saw Sanchez coming toward him again, so he stood up and struck him with the knife one more time.
Tole says Sanchez looked at him with a “look of shock” for a brief moment before turning and running back into the alley.
According to court documents, Tole’s statement closely matches the surveillance video detectives watched from the Marriott.
A knife was also collected from the driver’s seat of the truck.
IMPD announced around 5 p.m. October 4 that Sanchez had been arrested for his alleged role in the incident.
Victim’s condition
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According to family, Tole is having difficulty speaking due to the facial injuries suffered during the alleged attack.
His family says Tole has a large gash on his face that is “several” inches long and that the side of his face was cut open all the way through his cheek and into his tongue.
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