Prosecutors in Marion County (Ind.) added a Level 5 felony battery charge against former NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez on Monday for his alleged attack on a 69-year-old truck driver in Indianapolis on Saturday. Sanchez has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The additional battery charge, which falls within the second-lowest felony level under Indiana’s criminal code, carries a sentencing guideline of one to six years in prison and may also result in a fine of up to $10,000.
Sanchez, an NFL analyst for Fox Sports, initially faced charges of battery resulting in injury, public intoxication and unlawful entry of a motor vehicle, all misdemeanors. Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said during the Monday news conference that the additional felony charge was due to the alleged assault “involving serious bodily injury.”
Mears also stated that the truck driver’s age could be considered an aggravating factor, which could result in additional penalties.
“(Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Chief Chris Bailey) and his team have a number of search warrants that are still outstanding. They’re still tracking down additional information,” Mears said. “This is, by no means, the end of this investigation. This, by no means, means that these are going to be final charges that we move forward with.”
Police arrested Sanchez on Saturday while he was in the hospital being treated for wounds suffered during the incident. Sanchez was stabbed multiple times in his upper right torso, police said, while the other man had a large laceration to his left cheek that required hospitalization.
Attorneys for Sanchez, 38, declined to comment. He was released from jail Sunday on a $300 bond, and his first court date is set for Nov. 4.
“I don’t care who you are. I don’t care what you do for a living. … If you come into our city, commit violence, we will use all the tools at our disposal to hold you accountable,” Bailey said at the news conference.
Sanchez allegedly confronted the man for parking his truck in an alley between two hotels, claiming he was not allowed to be there. Prosecutors said extensive video footage shows Sanchez attempting to enter the vehicle multiple times as the situation escalated.
At one point, Sanchez allegedly slammed the driver, identified only as “P.T.,” to the ground. The truck driver told police he used pepper spray on Sanchez, who he said smelled of alcohol and had slurred speech, before using a knife to defend himself. Sanchez then fled the scene, the man said.
“When conflicts, which I’ve said repeatedly, continue to drive violence in our community — simple conflicts over things like parking spots and the list goes on and on that we’ve seen over the last several years — (there are) these tragic cases that turn violent because someone has a weapon of any sort,” Bailey said. “We’re lucky that no one’s dead right now as a result of this incident that involved a knife.”
Mears noted that the truck driver’s statement that he stabbed Sanchez in self-defense will be central to the trial.
“Indiana has some of the most robust self-defense laws in the nation, and that’s always going to be part of the equation when you evaluate cases like this and trying to determine exactly what took place,” Mears said. ” … In Indiana, you have no duty to retreat.”
Detective Joshua Stayton stated in the probable cause affidavit that the driver’s description of the incident “closely matched” the extensive security footage he reviewed. The affidavit also noted that Sanchez told police he could not remember what had happened.
Bailey did not respond directly when asked if police have heard Sanchez’s side of the story.
“I think the medical records are going to be extremely important for both individuals to help the prosecutor make a charging decision,” he said, “to see if there’s some other way (for) another charge that needs to be added, but also to see if there was some sort of altered state of mind of the individuals involved in this incident.”
Mears did not confirm whether police took Sanchez’s blood alcohol level after the incident.
The New York Jets selected Sanchez, who played at USC, with the No. 5 pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. He spent four seasons with the Jets and then briefly played as a backup for the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears before retiring with Washington.
Sanchez joined Fox Sports as a game analyst in July 2021 and was in the city to cover Sunday’s game between the Indianapolis Colts and Las Vegas Raiders.
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