The man accused of stabbing former NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez told police he thought “this guy is trying to kill me,” before pulling his knife on the ex-athlete in self-defense, according to court documents.
The 38-year-old former New York Jets quarterback turned Fox Sports analyst is facing misdemeanor charges of battery resulting in injury, public intoxication, and unlawful entry of a motor vehicle for his alleged role in the fight.
“This incident should never have happened,” Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said, according to The Indianapolis Star. “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. As with any case, we will follow the facts and the law wherever they lead.”
The two men got into a dispute just before 12:30 a.m. Saturday in downtown Indianapolis near Loughmiller’s Pub & Eatery after Sanchez got upset at the other man for parking his work box truck at a loading dock to collect used cooking oil, court documents state.
Surveillance video captured Sanchez approaching the driver’s door of the truck and opening the door to speak with the man inside, who was struggling to hear him because he wasn’t wearing his hearing aids, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Video from the scene shows Sanchez then following the man as he backed away from him.
“Sanchez is seen running after (the man) and the video shows Mr. Sanchez grabbing and throwing (the man) towards the wall of the Westin,” police wrote in the affidavit.
The brawl ensued in the alley between a dumpster and the truck before moving toward the middle of the alley.
“Mr. Sanchez is then seen throwing (the man) to the ground on the west side of the alley,” investigators wrote.
The man told police that he “realized things had escalated, and he was now in physical danger,” according to court documents.
He then used pepper spray on Sanchez, telling police it ”appeared to have an effect (on Sanchez) for a moment,” but that he “wiped his face and again advanced” toward him.
The man told police that, in that moment, he thought, “This guy is trying to kill me,” so he pulled out his knife. When Sanchez came at him, he struck him two or three times with the knife, he told police.
The man said Sanchez looked at him “with a look of shock” before taking off, heading north out of the alley.
Responding officers found Sanchez inside a bar next to the alley.
Court documents indicate the 69-year-old man, who suffered a laceration to his left cheek, told police he was acting in self-defense.
He was treated and released from Methodist Hospital, according to IndyStar.
Meanwhile, Sanchez suffered a stab wound to his upper torso and was rushed to Eskenazi Hospital in critical condition. He was later upgraded to stable condition.
Detective Christopher Edwards, who spoke with Sanchez in the hospital, said the former athlete did not remember what happened, police wrote in the affidavit.
Sanchez remained hospitalized early Sunday. An initial hearing has not yet been set in the case.
The sports analyst had been in Indianapolis on Saturday for his job as a broadcaster with Fox Sports, where he was scheduled to call Sunday’s Colts vs. Raiders game at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Before transitioning to a broadcasting career, Sanchez played 10 seasons in the NFL, most notably with the New York Jets, after being drafted fifth overall in the 2009 NFL Draft.
He also hosts the NFL on Fox podcast, Rearview, where he talks to NFL guests like Josh Allen, Jared Goff, and Baker Mayfield from his car.
