NEED TO KNOW
- New details tied to Mark Sanchez’s arrest have been revealed, following an alleged drunken altercation
- According to court documents and hotel surveillance, the former NFL star got into a fight with a 69-year-old truck driver on Saturday, Oct. 4
- The elderly man told police he thought Sanchez was “trying to kill” him, and he stabbed the athlete in self-defense
New details surrounding the altercation that led to Mark Sanchez’s arrest have been revealed.
On Saturday, Oct. 4, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) announced that the former NFL star and analyst, 38, was arrested at an area hospital on three misdemeanor charges: battery with injury, unlawful entry of a motor vehicle and public intoxication.
The arrest followed an alleged drunken altercation with an elderly truck driver, who said he stabbed Sanchez in self-defense, according to court documents obtained by TMZ and the Indianapolis Star.
The stabbing occurred shortly before 12:30 a.m. local time in an alley after Sanchez approached the door of a box truck and began talking to the driver, a 69-year-old man, the outlets reported, citing hotel surveillance footage. (The alley was situated between two hotels, the Westin and the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown.)
Security footage then showed the driver walking backward away from the former quarterback, who followed him, the Indy Star reported. According to the newspaper, police wrote, “Sanchez is seen running after [the man] and the video shows Mr. Sanchez grabbing and throwing [the man] towards the wall of the Westin.”
A witness said that the men were using their phones to record each other, the Indy Star reported, citing court documents.
The altercation then continued in the alley, with Sanchez seen throwing the truck driver “to the ground,” the Indy Star reported, citing investigators. The driver told police he pulled pepper spray out of his pocket and sprayed the former football pro, who just wiped it off, according to the outlet.
“This guy is trying to kill me,” the driver told police he thought to himself in the moment. He said he then pulled out a knife and struck Sanchez two or three times, per the Indy Star. After the stabbing, Sanchez wore “a look of shock,” and the man fled the scene, but he was later discovered in a nearby bar, per the newspaper.
The truck driver later told authorities that the altercation began because Sanchez told him a hotel manager had barred him from standing in the loading dock, per TMZ. He also said that he smelled alcohol on Sanchez, whom he alleged was slurring his words, the outlet reported.
The driver also said he had a difficult time understanding Sanchez because he was not wearing his hearing aids, per the Indy Star.
Following the alley altercation, both men were hospitalized for their injuries. Sanchez was admitted for his stab wounds and, later that morning, was in “stable condition,” authorities previously said.
Meanwhile, the 69-year-old man suffered a laceration to his left cheek. He was treated and released from the hospital, the Indy Star reported, citing court documents.
In a statement obtained by the Indy Star, Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said, “This incident should never have happened.”
“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 continued. “As with any case, we will follow the facts and the law wherever they lead.”
The investigation remains ongoing, and the “case will be presented to the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office for a charging decision,” the IMPD said. (The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.)
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Sanchez was a quarterback in the NFL for 10 seasons, playing with the New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears before ending his career with the Washington Redskins.
The athlete announced his retirement in July 2019, and has worked with ESPN and FOX for game-day coverage since. He was in Indianapolis for a planned broadcast appearance with FOX Sports.
A representative for Sanchez has not responded to PEOPLE’s multiple requests for comment.
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