LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Former USC and NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez publicly addressed his violent altercation with a 69-year-old truck driver for the first time Sunday, as he left an Indianapolis jail after being fingerprinted on a felony battery charge.
"I'm just focused on my recovery, and I just wanted to thank the first responders, Eskenazi hospital, Marion County sheriff and the Indianapolis Police Department," the 38-year-old Sanchez said, adding that he also wanted to "thank Dr. (Lindsey) Mossler, the surgeon. She saved my life, I'm grateful for that."
"I'm recovering slowly," Sanchez added as he walked away from reporters. "It's a long process."
Sanchez was released from a hospital Sunday morning, where he was treated for a stab wound he suffered in the encounter, which took place in the early minutes of Oct. 4 in an ally behind a bar in the 300 block of West Washington Street in downtown Indianapolis.
Sanchez was arrested and charged but not immediately booked into jail because of his injuries. He appeared briefly at the police station Sunday morning to be fingerprinted and have a mug shot taken, according to CBS Sports.
A pretrial conference in the case is scheduled for Nov. 4. He could serve from one to six years behind bars in Indiana if convicted.
Officers were dispatched to the scene at 12:30 a.m. on Oct. 4 in response to a report of a person being stabbed, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department reported. Upon arrival, they found two adult males -- one with lacerations to his face and the other with multiple stab wounds, according to Fox59 in Indianapolis.
The dispute allegedly began over Sanchez being upset that the 69-year- old man -- later identified as Perry Tole -- was parked in his work box truck at a loading dock to collect used cooking oil, court documents state.
As outlined in court papers, the older man "told police he was delivering food when Sanchez told him he needed to move and couldn't park where he was. That man told police Sanchez started threatening and following him and then attacked him. The man said he first tried to pepper spray Sanchez but it didn't work. He said it was at that time he defended himself with a knife. Police noted the man had a significant injury to his face."
The altercation occurred in an alleyway near Loughmiller's Pub & Eatery. Sanchez suffered stab wounds to his torso.
Fox59 reported that investigators reviewed hotel surveillance footage that appeared to show Sanchez approaching the truck from the alley before a fight broke out near a dumpster. The station added that the older man told police he used pepper spray in the altercation, but when Sanchez allegedly continued advancing, he thought his life was in danger, pulled out a knife and stabbed Sanchez several times.
The New York Post published photographs taken at Tole's hospital bed. They showed the man in an unwieldy metal neck brace with gruesome and serious injuries, including a deep, wide gash across the left side of his face and other apparent stab wounds to his stomach area.
Reporter Angela Ganote of Fox59 said his face was cut during the fight and his cheek was punctured.
Tole has filed a lawsuit against Sanchez and his employer Fox Sports seeking unspecified damages and claiming that he "suffered severe permanent disfigurement."
The Post reported that surveillance video shows Sanchez jogging back and forth in the alley before approaching the truck, when he entered the vehicle and told the driver to move. The driver had taken out his hearing aid and leaned closer to the former quarterback to hear him, and said his breath smelled of alcohol, according to the report.
Another surveillance video published by the Post appears to show a slightly unsteady Sanchez walking down the sidewalk after the encounter, with one arm clutching a wound in his midsection.
"This incident should never have happened," prosecutor Ryan 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."
Indianapolis police urged reporters and others to use caution in discussing the case. "An arrest is merely an accusation, and Sanchez should be considered innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law," the department said.
Sanchez had been scheduled to be part of the broadcast crew for that weekend's game between the Las Vegas Raiders and Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium, but was replaced by fellow Fox Sports analyst Brady Quinn.
The Long Beach native, who grew up in Orange County and played football at Santa Margarita High School and later Mission Viejo High School, was drafted by the New York Jets in 2009 with the fifth overall pick after leading USC to a Rose Bowl victory over Penn State in January 2009, capping a 12-1 season for the Trojans.
The Jets made the AFC championship game in each of his first two seasons, but lost both times. Sanchez also played for the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys and Washington.
He joined Fox Sports as a game analyst in 2021.
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