Sanchez now facing felony charge for altercation

Former NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez is facing a felony battery charge over an altercation between the former NFL quarterback and a 69-year-old truck driver early Saturday in Indianapolis.

Marion County prosecutor Ryan Mears announced the upgraded charge Monday morning, saying Sanchez faces a Level 5 felony charge of battery «involving serious bodily injury.» Punishment can range from one to six years in prison, according to Mears.

«One of the challenges you have in a case like this is that you are dealing with individuals who are receiving medical care and that’s, obviously, the most important thing, that individuals are treated appropriately,» Mears said. «But once we were provided with additional information about the victim’s current medical condition, it became clear to us that additional charges needed to be filed.»

Mears said his office received an amended probable cause affidavit Monday, which led to the additional charge because the truck driver suffered serious injuries.

Mears added that prosecutors are still investigating the incident and that Sanchez, 38, could face additional charges.

On Sunday, Sanchez was charged with battery with injury, public intoxication and unlawful entry of a vehicle — all misdemeanors.

Sanchez had been scheduled for a court hearing Tuesday on the original charges but that was rescheduled to Nov. 4. Sanchez remains hospitalized and was listed in stable condition Monday morning.

According to an affidavit for probable cause based on hotel video footage of the altercation early Saturday and statements to police, Sanchez allegedly accosted the driver of a box truck that backed into a hotel’s loading dock.

According to the affidavit, the confrontation escalated to the point where the truck driver believed he was in danger, sprayed Sanchez in the face with pepper spray and, with Sanchez still advancing toward him, said he thought «this guy is trying to kill me.»

The truck driver then pulled his knife and, with Sanchez still coming at him, said he struck Sanchez «two or three times,» according to the affidavit. The truck driver said he was thrown against a dumpster and onto the ground and believed he was in a «life-or-death situation.» The driver, according to the affidavit, then said «a look of shock» came to Sanchez’s face and Sanchez «took off.»

Sanchez was arrested by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department at a hospital Saturday.

The affidavit said Sanchez suffered several stab wounds to his right torso area while the driver had a laceration on his left cheek and was taken to a different hospital than Sanchez for treatment.

Sanchez told a police officer that «all he could remember was grabbing for a window,» adding that he did not know who stabbed him or where it happened, according to the affidavit.

Police got a warrant to obtain Sanchez’s phone and clothes from the hospital, the document said.

Sanchez, an analyst for Fox Sports, was in Indianapolis as part of the broadcast crew for the network’s coverage of Sunday’s game between the Las Vegas Raiders and Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Fox Sports play-by-play announcer Chris Myers acknowledged Sanchez’s absence Sunday before introducing Sanchez’s replacement, Brady Quinn. Myers said he wanted to send thoughts and prayers to Sanchez and everyone involved in the incident.

Sanchez played eight seasons in the NFL after being selected fifth by the New York Jets in the 2009 draft out of USC. He helped the Jets advance to back-to-back AFC Championship Games in his first two seasons.

He also played for the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys and Washington, the team he last appeared in a regular-season game for in 2018.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.