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New details have been revealed surrounding the altercation that led to the arrest of Mark Sanchez.
On Saturday, October 4th, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) announced that the former NFL star and analyst, 38, has been arrested at a community hospital on three misdemeanor charges.
According to court documents obtained by the TMZ and the Indianapolis star, the arrest followed a drunken argument with an elderly truck driver.
The stab wound occurred before 12:30am local time on site, citing surveillance footage from the hotel, after Sanchez approached the box truck door and began talking to the driver, a 69-year-old man. (The alley was between two hotels, the Westin and downtown Indianapolis Marriott.)
Security footage then showed the driver walking behind the former quarterback that followed him, Indystar reported. According to the newspaper, police wrote, “Sanchez is seen running (the man), and the video shows Sanchez grabbing him towards the Westin’s wall and throwing him.”
Witnesses said the men were using cell phones to record each other, Indiestar reported, citing court documents.
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The argument then continued in an alleyway, where Sanchez saw the truck driver “to the ground,” Indy Star quoted investigators. The driver told police that he pulled a spray of pepper from his pocket and sprayed it on a former football pro who just wiped it out, according to the outlet.
“This guy is trying to kill me,” the driver told police that he thought to himself in that moment. He said he followed the Indystar, pulled out a knife and attacked Sanchez a few times. After the stab wound, Sanchez wore a “shocking expression” and the man escaped from the scene, but he was later found at a nearby bar, according to the newspaper.
The truck driver later told authorities that the argument began when Sanchez told him that every TMZ banned him from standing on the loading dock. He also said he smelled Sanchez’s alcohol, but he claimed he was slurping his words, the outlet reported.
The driver also said that according to the Indystar, he was struggling to understand Sanchez because he wasn’t wearing hearing aids.
Following an alley altercation, both men were hospitalized due to injuries. Sanchez was found to be in “stable condition” late in the morning, authorities previously said.
Meanwhile, the 69-year-old man suffered a laceration to his left cheek. He was treated and released from the hospital, Indist reported, citing court documents.
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“This incident should never happen,” Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said in a statement obtained by the Indy star.
“What began as a disagreement between a 38-year-old former professional athlete and a 69-year-old man shouldn’t have escalated to violence or seriously injured,” Mears continued. “In any case, we will follow the place and the laws they guide.”
The investigation is still ongoing and “the case will be filed with the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office for a claim decision,” IMPD said. (The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.)
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Sanchez is a quarterback for 10 seasons in the NFL and finished his career with the Washington Redskins after playing for the New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears.
The athlete announced his retirement in July 2019 and has since worked with ESPN and Fox to work together for the match. He was in Indianapolis for a scheduled broadcast appearance with Fox Sports.
Representatives from Sanchez have not responded to people’s requests for comment.
