Former New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez is facing a felony charge in relation to a stabbing incident in downtown Indianapolis.
Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears announced Sanchez, 38, is facing a level 5 felony charge on Monday, October 6.
The charge carries a penalty of one to five years in prison.
“We are literally talking about people fighting about a parking spot,” Mears said during a Monday morning press conference.
Sanchez was originally charged with three misdemeanor charges — battery resulting in injury, public intoxication and unlawful entry of a motor vehicle — in relation to the incident on Saturday, October 4, when Sanchez allegedly assaulted a 69-year-old delivery driver in the alley outside an Indianapolis bar.
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“I don’t care who you are,” Indianapolis Police Chief Chris Bailey said during Monday’s press conference. “I don’t care what you do for a living. I don’t care where you live. If you come into our city, commit violence, we will use all the tools that are at our disposal to hold you accountable.”
Us Weekly has reached out to Sanchez’s attorneys for comment.
Sanchez was stabbed during the altercation, which the other man involved alleged was self-defense. He was charged with the misdemeanors while hospitalized with his injuries.
The former NFL quarterback is due in court on Tuesday, October 7.
While in Indianapolis to broadcast the game between the Indianapolis Colts and Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, October 5, Sanchez was stabbed during an altercation with a man, known as P.T. in police records, in between the the Westin Hotel and the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown.
In surveillance footage, Sanchez is seen approaching the box truck of the 69-year-old delivery driver, whose vehicle was parked in the alley, where the two men engaged in a conversation.
The interaction quickly turned violent, as video shows the two men circling the man’s truck before engaging in a fight next to a dumpster.
Detectives say Sanchez threw the man toward the dumpster as a struggle ensued between the delivery truck and a wall. Sanchez is also seen opening the driver’s side door of the truck and climbing inside.
Sanchez’s alleged victim said the former NFL star appeared to be intoxicated, smelled of alcohol and claimed to have spoken to the hotel manager, who said the truck was not supposed to be parked in the alley. When the man tried to call his supervisor, Sanchez allegedly blocked him.
A source told Fox59 that Sanchez was doing wind sprints in the alley before the fight occurred.
Sanchez was replaced in the broadcast booth by Brady Quinn for Sunday’s game.
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Fox Sports released a statement about the incident on Saturday, before Sanchez had been charged with any crime.
“We are deeply grateful to the medical team for their exceptional care and support,” the statement said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Mark, and we ask that everyone please respect his and his family’s privacy during this time.”
The network addressed the story during their NFL broadcasts on Sunday.
“Friday night in Indianapolis, one of our team members, Mark Sanchez, was involved in an incident that we are still trying to wrap our heads around,” studio host Charissa Thompson said. “At this time, our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family, and all of those involved.”
