Former NFL quarterback and current FOX Sports analyst Mark Sanchez has been released from the hospital, formally booked into the Marion County Jail in Indianapolis, and then released from the jail shortly after. All of this happened just days after he was hospitalized following a stabbing during an altercation with a 69-year-old truck driver in downtown Indianapolis.
On Sunday (Oct. 12), Sanchez was seen walking into the Marion County Community Justice Campus after being released from a local hospital where he had been treated for multiple stab wounds. He walked out of the jail later that morning.
Sanchez, who is facing four criminal charges related to the altercation, was granted permission to leave Indiana by the court on Saturday (Oct. 11). His $300 bond was posted days ago. The next hearing in his case is scheduled for November 5.
Sanchez is facing four criminal charges, including Battery resulting in serious bodily injury (which was changed from a misdemeanor to a level 5 felony), Battery resulting in bodily injury, Unauthorized entry of a motor vehicle, and Public intoxication endangering life.
Initially charged only with misdemeanors, the upgraded felony battery charge came after Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said court documents indicated Sanchez was "the aggressor" in the confrontation and that the other party suffered serious injuries.
Video footage from Sunday showed Sanchez walking out of the hospital and telling a reporter he's focused on "recovery." He thanked the first responders and doctors who assisted him.
The altercation occurred around 12:35 a.m. on October 4 near Loughmiller's Pub and Eatery in Indianapolis. Police say Sanchez was found outside the bar with stab wounds to his upper torso.
The other man involved was later identified as Perry Tole, a truck driver who was working nearby collecting used cooking oil.
Tole told investigators that Sanchez entered his truck without permission and blocked him from calling his supervisor. When Tole tried to defend himself with pepper spray, he claims Sanchez continued advancing, leading Tole to stab him "in self-defense," according to court records.
Surveillance footage reportedly shows Sanchez and Tole circling the truck before a struggle erupted. Police recovered the knife believed to have been used.
Tole has since filed a civil lawsuit against both Sanchez and Fox Corporation, alleging the network "knew or should have known about Sanchez's unfitness as an employee" and his alleged "propensity for drinking and harmful conduct."
High-profile Indianapolis defense attorney James Voyles, who once represented Mike Tyson, has taken on Sanchez's case.
The felony charge carries a maximum penalty of six years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines if convicted.