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
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**INDIANAPOLIS —** Former NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez was pepper-sprayed and stabbed multiple times during a late-night altercation with a 69-year-old truck driver in a downtown Indianapolis alley, resulting in criminal charges against the Fox Sports analyst, according to court records filed Sunday.
Based on hotel video footage of the altercation early Saturday and the driver’s statement to police, a police affidavit alleges that Sanchez, smelling of alcohol, accosted the driver of a box truck that had backed into a hotel’s loading docks. This led to a confrontation outside the vehicle that prompted the driver to defensively pull out a knife.
Sanchez was hospitalized with stab wounds to his upper right torso, according to the affidavit signed by a police detective. He remained hospitalized early Sunday, police said. The truck driver, identified as P.T., sustained a cut to his left cheek.
Sanchez was reported to be in stable condition, Fox Sports said Saturday, though there was no immediate update Sunday. His initial court hearing was set for Tuesday in a Marion County courtroom.
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### Sanchez Stabbed Multiple Times During Altercation
As the altercation escalated, the driver feared that “this guy is trying to kill me” and pulled his knife as Sanchez advanced toward him, the affidavit said. Sanchez was initially stabbed two or three times, then stabbed again when he approached the driver once more.
“The next thing P.T. knew was Mr. Sanchez looked at him with a look of shock, he slowly turned around, and Mr. Sanchez took off northbound in the alley,” the document said.
Sanchez was in Indianapolis to call Sunday’s Raiders-Colts game. Instead, he was charged with battery resulting in injury, unauthorized entry of a motor vehicle, and public intoxication — all misdemeanors. Police obtained a warrant to seize Sanchez’s phone and clothes from the hospital, the document revealed.
There were no immediate court records indicating whether Sanchez had obtained legal representation.
Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said Sunday that his office would “follow the facts and the law wherever they lead.”
“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,” Mears said in a statement.
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### Fox Sports Announces Sanchez’s Absence
Sanchez told police at the hospital that all he could remember was grabbing for a window, the court document said. He said he did not know who else was involved or where the altercation occurred.
“Friday night in Indianapolis, one of our team members, Mark Sanchez, was involved in an incident that, to be honest, we are still trying to wrap our heads around,” Curt Menefee said Sunday on Fox’s primary NFL pregame show. “At this time, our thoughts and prayers are with Mark and his family and all of those involved.”
Fox Sports play-by-play announcer Chris Myers also acknowledged Sanchez’s absence on Sunday before introducing Sanchez’s replacement, Brady Quinn. Myers expressed his thoughts and prayers for Sanchez and everyone involved in the incident.
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### Details of the Incident
Police officers found Sanchez with stab wounds when they were dispatched to a downtown pub about 12:35 a.m. Saturday. The truck driver was found in the alley.
The affidavit, based on video footage and the driver’s statement, revealed more details:
– Video footage showed a man believed to be Sanchez running in the alley toward the truck.
– The driver works for a company specializing in commercial cooking oil recycling and disposal and was performing his work duties.
– Sanchez opened the truck door and began talking to the driver.
– Sanchez told the driver he couldn’t be at the loading dock and claimed he had spoken to the hotel manager.
– The driver reported Sanchez smelled of alcohol and had slurred speech.
The affidavit detailed how Sanchez followed the driver from side to side of the truck. When the driver moved toward the driver’s door, video showed Sanchez grabbing and throwing the driver against a hotel wall.
The fight continued near a dumpster, and Sanchez threw the driver to the ground. Sanchez climbed into the truck but exited when the driver told him he wasn’t allowed in.
Sanchez insisted he had spoken to a manager and did not want the driver to replace fryer oil. He tried again to enter the truck and blocked the driver from calling his manager.
Believing he was in danger, the driver grabbed pepper spray from his pocket and sprayed Sanchez in the face. Sanchez wiped his face and advanced toward the driver again.
The driver then pulled his knife and stabbed Sanchez as Sanchez came at him, the affidavit said. The driver fell onto pallets on the ground.
While on the ground, the driver could only see Sanchez’s feet coming toward him and realized he was in a life-or-death situation. The driver got to his feet and stabbed Sanchez again as Sanchez approached.
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### Sanchez’s Career and Personal Life
Mark Sanchez had a 10-year NFL career before retiring in 2019. He appeared on ABC and ESPN for two years before joining Fox Sports as a game analyst in 2021.
The Long Beach, California native starred at Southern California before being selected by the New York Jets with the fifth pick in the 2009 NFL draft. Sanchez also played games with Philadelphia, Dallas, and Washington.
Sanchez is married to actor Perry Mattfeld, a former USC cheerleader whose credits include *Shameless*, *In the Dark*, and *Chad Powers*. She recently told *Glamour* magazine that the couple had twin daughters in March.
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