Mark Sanchez now faces felony charge after stabbing incident in Indianapolis

Former NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez faces felony charge in Indianapolis stabbing case

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, which resulted in criminal charges against the Fox Sports analyst. FOX 5 New York reports.

INDIANAPOLIS - Former NFL quarterback and Fox Sports analyst Mark Sanchez will face an additional, serious charge after a stabbing incident in Indianapolis over the weekend, in which too was stabbed.

What they're saying:

Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said prosecutors upgraded the battery charge to a felony that carries a sentence of 1–6 years in prison if convicted. 

Update on Mark Sanchez stabbing investigation

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, which resulted in criminal charges against the Fox Sports analyst. Officials provide an update on the investigation.

The backstory:

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, which resulted in criminal charges against Sanchez, according to court records filed Sunday.

RELATED: Mark Sanchez arrested after Indianapolis stabbing that left him hospitalized

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 backed into a hotel’s loading docks, leading 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, the affidavit signed by a police detective said. Sanchez remained hospitalized early Sunday, according to police. The truck driver, identified as P.T., had a cut to his left cheek, it said.

Sanchez was in stable condition, Fox Sports said Saturday. 

Mark Sanchez arrested after stabbing incident

NFL commentator and former quarterback Mark Sanchez has been arrested after he was stabbed early Saturday morning, according to TMZ and local law enforcement. Sanchez has been charged with three misdemeanors: battery with injury, public intoxication and unlawful entry of a motor vehicle. He remains in stable condition at the hospital and has yet to be booked for the charges. He is in Indianapolis to provide commentary on the Colts and Raiders game Sunday night.

Details on stabbing incident 

Dig deeper:

Police officers found Sanchez with the stab wounds when they were dispatched to a downtown pub about 12:35 a.m. Saturday. The truck driver was found in the alley.

Sanchez told police at the hospital that all he could remember was grabbing for a window, the court document said. Sanchez said he didn’t know who else was involved or where the altercation happened.

Details of the confrontation were disclosed in the affidavit, based on video footage and the truck driver's statement to police.

The video showed a man believed to be Sanchez running in the alley toward the truck, the affidavit said. The driver works for a company that specializes in commercial cooking oil recycling and disposal, and he was performed his work duties, it said.

Sanchez opened the truck door and began talking to the driver, the affidavit said. Sanchez told the driver he couldn't be at the loading dock and that Sanchez had spoken to the hotel manager, the document said. Sanchez smelled of alcohol and his speech was slurred, the driver told police.

Fmr. NFL QB Mark Sanchez stabbed in Indianapolis

Ex-NFL quarterback and current FOX sports host Mark Sanchez was reportadly stabbed in Indianapolis following an altercation. According to FOX sports Sanchez is in stable condition. He was scheduled to call Sunday's game between the Colts and Raiders.

Sanchez followed the driver from side to side of the truck, the court document said. When the driver darted toward the driver's door, video showed Sanchez "grabbing and throwing" the driver toward a hotel wall, it said. The fight continued against a dumpster and Sanchez threw the driver to the ground, it said.

Sanchez climbed into the truck but got out when told by the driver he wasn't allowed in, it said. Sanchez repeated that he spoke to a manager and didn't want the driver to replace fryer oil, the document said. Sanchez tried again to get into the truck and blocked the driver from calling his manager, it said.

Believing he was in danger, the driver grabbed pepper spray from his pocket and sprayed Sanchez’s face, it said. Sanchez wiped his face and advanced toward the driver again, it said.

The driver then pulled his knife 

The driver made it to his feet and stabbed Sanchez the last time as Sanchez came at him, it said.

What's next:

His initial court hearing was set for Tuesday in a Marion County courtroom.

Who is Mark Sanchez?

The backstory:

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 he was selected by the New York Jets with the fifth pick in the 2009 NFL draft. Sanchez also appeared in 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 told Glamour recently that the couple had twin daughters in March.