Mark Sanchez stabbing, arrest: Former NFL QB faces upgraded felony battery charge after Indianapolis incident

Former NFL quarterback and USC star Mark Sanchez faces an upgraded Level 5 felony battery charge stemming from a weekend incident in Indianapolis, Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said during a Monday press conference. Sanchez, briefly hospitalized with injuries from a stabbing, was initially arrested for battery with injury, unlawful entry of a motor vehicle and public intoxication.

A 69-year-old man stabbed Sanchez during the altercation, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by CBS News.

“Certainly the thing that stands out to us is that this was a situation that did not need to occur,” Mears said. “We’re literally talking about people fighting over a parking space or a dispute about where people were parking and it resulted in a person with incredibly significant injures.”

If found guilty, Sanchez could face a between one and six years in prison for the Level 5 felony battery charge.

Sanchez’s brother, Nick Sanchez Jr., provided the following statement to The Athletic:

“This has been a deeply distressing time for everyone involved. Mark and our family are incredibly grateful for the concern, love, and support we’ve received over the past few days. Mark remains under medical care for the serious injuries he sustained and is focused on his recovery as the legal process continues. We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the first responders and medical staff.”

Mark Sanchez and the 69-year-old man, identified as a truck driver, began fighting over a parking situation before the argument turned violent, according to the affidavit. The man stabbed Sanchez in the upper torso around 12:30 a.m. Saturday in downtown Indianapolis near Loughmiller’s Pub & Eatery. Sanchez received transportation to Eskenazi Hospital while listed in critical condition. 

The incident escalated near a loading dock where the truck driver said he believed he was in danger and pepper sprayed Sanchez in the face. 

“I don’t care who you are. I don’t care what you do for a living. I don’t care where you live. If you come into our city and commit violence, we’ll use all the tools at our disposal to hold you accountable,” Indianapolis police chief Chris Bailey said. “As we move forward, [our] PD will continue to maintain our strong, visible presence in downtown on those high-visibility, high-traffic weekends at major events to make sure our community is safe. I continue to urge our community to respect one another. As the prosecutor said, this did not need to happen; it did not.”

Sanchez told the detective, Christopher Edwards, that he did not remember anything involving the incident while hospitalized.

Mears touched on the state’s self defense laws and said those factors will be addressed at trial.

“Well, certainly, Indiana has some of the 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 try to determine exactly what took place,” Mears said. “It will certainly be at the center of this particular trial as well when we have conversations about were people acting reasonably or not. Those are all things you need to consider in terms of when you make that initial charging decision and those facts have been evaluated. Self-defesne laws will be raised at trial.”

Sanchez allegedly advanced toward the man, who claims he thought, “This guy is trying to kill me.” That’s when the man pulled his knife and stabbed Sanchez “two or three times” as Sanchez was still coming towards him. 

The driver then alleged that he was thrown against a dumpster and believed he was in a life-or-death situation. An eye witness told police that they saw two men using cellphones to record each other before an altercation ensued, according to court records.

Sanchez was in Indianapolis to call Sunday’s game between the Las Vegas Raiders and Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium.