Mark Sanchez charges upgraded to felony in alleged attack on truck driver

Oct. 6 (UPI) -- The Marion County, Indiana, prosecutor has upgraded charges against NFL analyst Mark Sanchez to a felony after he allegedly attacked an elderly truck driver in Indianapolis over the weekend.

Marion County prosecutor Ryan Mears said Monday during a press conference that he upgraded charges against Sanchez to a level 5 felony battery causing serious injury after considering the age of the victim and seriousness of his injuries, Fox 59 Indianapolis reported.

Sanchez was stabbed Saturday during an altercation with a 69-year-old box truck driver after allegedly starting an argument with the victim to move his truck from a loading dock where it was parked.

The retired NFL quarterback, in town to call a Sunday afternoon NFL game, was initially charged on Saturday night with misdemeanor counts of battery with injury, public intoxication and unlawful entry of a vehicle before the prosecutor's office upgraded the battery charge.

"We are literally talking about people fighting about a parking spot," Mears said. "Once we were provided with additional information about the victim's current medical condition, it became clear to us that additional charges needed to be filed."

Sanchez and his lawyers waived an initial hearing scheduled for Oct. 7, but will be in court on Nov. 4 for a pretrial conference, according to the Indianapolis Star.

According to a probable cause affidavit, police were called to Loughmiller's Pub and Eatery around 12:35 am, where they found Sanchez having been stabbed several times in the torso and a 69-year-old man with cuts to his face.

The man had parked his box truck in an alley between two hotels as he collected used cooking oil, part of his job, from the hotels, the affidavit said.

Surveillance footage shows a man who appears to be the 38-year-old Sanchez approaching the truck and speaking with the man before he opened the truck's door and entered the cab.

Detectives reported that the man told them Sanchez smelled of alcohol and, based on video footage, after the two exited the truck they began to struggle between the truck and a wall.

Sanchez threw the man into a dumpster, according to the video, and the man sprayed pepper spray at the retired quarterback as he continued to advance. Worried that Sanchez would "try to kill" him, the man pulled out a knife and stabbed him several times. Sanchez then turned and ran away.

Both were taken to the hospital where the man was treated for cuts to his cheek and released, while Sanchez -- who police called "uncooperative" at the scene -- was hospitalized with a stab wound to the chest and in critical condition. Sanchez has since been listed as stable, according to the Indianapolis Star.

Mears said during the press conference that multiple security cameras and witnesses in a busy area of downtown Indianapolis has helped the investigation, which has been spearheaded by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

"This is by no means the end of the investigation," he said.