INDIANAPOLIS — FOX Sports analyst Mark Sanchez was discharged from a local hospital Sunday morning and was booked at the Marion County Jail.
On Friday, Judge Jennifer Harrison granted a petition to travel filed on behalf of Mark Sanchez, according to court documents.
However, the judge ruled Sanchez must be booked and fingerprinted before he leaves the state.
Sanchez, who lives in California, traveled to Indianapolis to call the Indianapolis Colts game against the Las Vegas Raiders when he got into an altercation with a 69-year-old truck driver.
Sanchez is facing a felony battery charge and three misdemeanor charges, as well as a civil suit.
CIVIL CASE
The attorneys for Perry Tole, the person involved in the altercation with former NFL quarterback and Fox Sports analyst Mark Sanchez, have filed a civil suit against him and his employer, the Fox Corporation, for damages and a jury trial.
According to court documents filed on Monday, the 69-year-old man suffered "severe permanent disfigurement, loss of function, other physical injuries, emotional distress and other damages" as a result of Sanchez's actions.
The documents state that the Fox Corporation knew, or should have known, about Sanchez's "unfitness as an employee, propensity for drinking and/or harmful conduct," and "failing to supervise him in a capacity as an employee." The suit also accuses Fox of negligent hiring.
The plaintiff is seeking:
- Compensatory damages in an amount to be determined at trial
- Punitive damages in an amount to be determined at trial
- Costs and expenses of this action, including reasonable attorney's fees
- Any other relief that the Court deems just and proper
MARION COUNTY PROSECUTORS CHARGE SANCHEZ WITH FELONY BATTERY
Additionally, Sanchez now faces one felony battery charge that carries a sentence of one to six years following his arrest in a downtown Indianapolis incident. He is also facing three additional misdemeanors.
Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said prosecutors upgraded the battery charge once they became aware of Tole's medical condition.
“This was a situation that did not need to occur,” Mears said. “We are literally talking about people fighting over a parking space.”
Sanchez, 38, was initially charged with battery resulting in injury, public intoxication and unlawful entry of a motor vehicle after confronting a 69-year-old truck driver in an alley early Saturday morning.
According to an amended probable cause affidavit, Sanchez approached the truck driver, who works for a company servicing fryer oil at the Westin Hotel loading dock. Surveillance video shows Sanchez telling the driver he couldn't park there and climbing into the truck cab without permission.
When Tole tried to call his manager, Sanchez reportedly blocked him from getting his phone. The situation escalated when Sanchez allegedly shoved the driver, who then reportedly pepper-sprayed Sanchez.
Tole told police he thought "this guy is trying to kill me" and pulled a knife, stabbing Sanchez multiple times during the fight. Tole said he was thrown into a dumpster and fell onto pallets on the ground. While on the ground, he said he could only see Sanchez's feet coming at him, making him realize it was a "life-or-death situation."
Tole said he somehow made it back to his feet and when Sanchez came at him again, he stabbed Sanchez "the last time." Sanchez then looked at him with "a look of shock," slowly turned around and fled north through the alley.
According to the affidavit, Tole suffered a severe laceration that penetrated all the way through his left cheek. When asked to rate his pain on a scale of 10, he said it eventually reached a 10.
A knife was recovered from Tole's truck through a search warrant. Prosecutors are not seeking charges against him, having deemed his actions to be self-defense.
WRTV spoke to Erik May, the attorney for Tole. May said Tole is back home recovering and will require extensive medical care in the coming days, weeks and months. May said Tole’s speech and other functions have been affected by injuries to his mouth, jaw and face.
“He has worked his whole life,” May said. “It’s a heck of a thing to see somebody like that still working as hard as he was, and he’s hopeful to continue working someday. He’s a tough son of a gun.”
Sanchez, who was in Indianapolis to call Sunday's Raiders-Colts game, was found at Loughmiller's Pub with stab wounds to his upper right torso and taken to Eskenazi Hospital in critical condition. He was hospitalized in the ICU under police supervision.
Court records show he posted a $300 bond. He has an initial hearing scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 7; however, a judge granted a motion for the hearing to be waived, and it has been rescheduled for Nov. 5.
Mears said the investigation is still in early stages and officials are waiting for search warrants to be processed.
"This incident should never have happened," Mears said. "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."
IMPD initially announced Sanchez's arrest on Saturday evening, after FOX reported that Sanchez was injured in Indianapolis.
"Mark Sanchez was injured in Indianapolis on Saturday and is currently recovering in the hospital in stable condition," FOX said in a statement. "We are deeply grateful to the medical team for their exceptional care and support. Our thoughts and prayers are with Mark, and we ask that everyone please respect his and his family's privacy during this time."
On behalf of the Sanchez family, Nick Sanchez, Mark's brother, shared this statement with ABC on Monday:
"This has been a deeply distressing time for everyone involved. Mark and our family are incredibly grateful for the concern, love, and support we’ve received over the past few days. Mark remains under medical care for the serious injuries he sustained and is focused on his recovery as the legal process continues. We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the first responders and medical staff.”
Sanchez played 10 seasons in the NFL after being drafted fifth overall by the New York Jets in 2009. He joined FOX Sports as a college football analyst in 2019 and moved to NFL games as an analyst in 2021.
