A former professional football player turned television analyst was arrested over the weekend after a bizarre altercation outside an Indianapolis hotel.
According to an affidavit from the incident, Indianapolis police arrived at Loughmiller’s Pub and Eatery just after 12:30 a.m. Saturday and found Mark Sanchez, 38, “with several stab wounds to his upper right torso area.”
Mark Sanchez probable cause by kc wildmoon
Police also found a second person, identified as P.T., 69, in the affidavit, in an alley with a laceration to his cheek. Both Sanchez and P.T. were taken to hospitals.
Sanchez, a quarterback for the University of Southern California, was drafted by the New York Jets in 2009 and played with the team for four years before bouncing around with five other teams, ending his career in Washington in 2018. After his retirement, we worked for ESPN before moving to Fox in 2021. He was in Indianapolis for the Colts’ game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.
When an investigator spoke with Sanchez, he told said “he did not know who did this to him or where it happened” and that “all he could remember was grabbing for a window.”
Meanwhile, a detective on the scene of the incident learned that two hotels on either side of the alley where P.T. was found had surveillance video of it. While the video from one hotel was of poor quality, the video from the Marriott showed most of the incident.
P.T. works for a company that provides cooking oil for commercial establishments and had his truck backed into the loading dock of the Westin hotel, where he was working to replace the kitchen’s cooking oil. In the Marriott’s video, Sanchez approaches him. They are seen interacting before P.T. heads toward the Marriott’s security office doors.
“Moments later, P.T. reappears and walks towards the passenger side of the truck and Mr. Sanchez follows him,” the affidavit says. “Then P.T. is seen walking back around to the driver’s side and Mr. Sanchez is right behind him. The two appear to have an interaction at the driver’s side door and then P.T. walks back towards the front of the truck. Mr. Sanchez is following again, and P. T. is seen walking backwards away from Mr. Sanchez. P.T. and Mr. Sanchez are now seen moving around in the front area in front of the truck and then P. T. darts towards the driver’s door again.”
The video then shows Sanchez chasing PT, grabbing him, and throwing him toward a wall. The fight continues, and Sanchez throws PT to the ground before running north toward W. Washington Street.
Police say the video “closely matches” a statement given to them by PT. In the statement, PT said that Sanchez came up to him as he got out of his truck and told him he couldn’t be at the loading dock and that he had spoken with the hotel manager who told him that. PT said that he leaned in to hear what Sanchez was saying (because he didn’t have his hearing aids in) and noted that he “smelled of alcohol and his speech was slurred.”
PT told Sanchez he’d need to talk with his manager to find out what was going on but Sanchez blocked him from getting into his truck and tried to get in himself. Sanchez reportedly told PT that the hotel manager had told him they did not want the cooking oil replaced.
PT said that he walked toward the Marriott’s security offices in an attempt to flag down a security officer, all the while Sanchez was following him. He reportedly blocked PT from getting into the truck several times, shoving him away when he tried to get his cell phone. PT said he began to fear the situation, so he took his pepper spray out and sprayed Sanchez in the face to no avail.
At that point, fearing Sanchez was “trying to kill me,” he pulled his knife and stabbed Sanchez two or three times. Sanchez then threw him toward a dumpster. As Sanchez approached him again, he got up and stabbed Sanchez a final time. Sanchez left the alley at that point.
Sanchez has been charged with battery, unlawful entry to a motor vehicle, and public intoxication.
Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said in a statement that “this incident should never have happened,” Law&Crime reported.
“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,” he said. “As with any case, we will follow the facts and the law wherever they lead.”
Sanchez was reportedly last listed in stable condition at the hospital and will be booked when he is released.
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[Featured image: FILE – New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez warms up before an NFL football game between the Jets and the Tennessee Titans on Monday, Dec. 17, 2012, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne, File)]
