LOS ANGELES (CNS) – Perry Tole, the man who was allegedly attacked by former USC and NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez, filed a lawsuit against Sanchez and Fox Corporation in which he claimed he “suffered severe permanent disfigurement.”
Tole filed the lawsuit in Indiana’s Marion County Superior Court and in it asked for punitive and compensatory damages from Sanchez for “assault and battery” and Fox Corporation for “negligent hiring, retention and supervision.”
Monday prosecutors charged Sanchez with felony battery after an altercation he had with the 69-year-old truck driver in downtown Indianapolis that left both men with stab wounds. Sanchez was initially charged with misdemeanors and posted a $300 bond.
“We received an amended or additional probable cause affidavit this morning” Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said Monday. “And with that additional information we’ve added more serious charges against Mr. Sanchez at this point in time we have filed a level 5 battery charge of causing serious bodily injury.”
In Indiana, if found guilty of that charge Sanchez could serve from one to six years behind bars.
Sanchez was arrested and charged but not immediately booked into jail because of his injuries that required hospitalization, but he was released from the hospital Sunday night and booked at the Marion County Jail where he posted a $300 bond.
Initially on Sunday, the Marion County prosecutor’s office said it had charged Sanchez with battery with injury, public intoxication and unlawful entry of a vehicle, all misdemeanors.
Officers were dispatched at 12:30 a.m. Saturday to the 300 block of West Washington Street 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.
The dispute allegedly began over Sanchez being upset that the 69-year- old man 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 and stabbing occurred in an alleyway near Loughmiller’s Pub & Eatery in downtown Indianapolis. Sanchez reportedly suffered stab wounds to his torso and was treated at Eskenazi Hospital, the IndyStar reported.
Fox59 reported that investigators have 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 Sunday that the newspaper said were taken at the truck driver’s hospital bed. They showed a 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.
Ganote said his face was cut during the fight and his cheek was punctured.
She added Monday that the truck driver had filed a lawsuit against Sanchez and his employer Fox Sports seeking unspecified damages.
The Post also 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.”
Reporter Angela Ganote of Fox59 in Indianapolis said Monday that the judge in the case granted a motion to wave the initial hearing for Sanchez that was planned for Tuesday, and set a pretrial conference for Nov. 4 instead.
In a Saturday afternoon statement, 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 was scheduled to be part of the broadcast crew for Sunday’s game between the Las Vegas Raiders and Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, but was replaced by fellow Fox Sports analyst Brady Quinn, the network announced.
Fox Sports and others affiliated with Sanchez noted his injury and hospitalization.
“Mark Sanchez was injured in Indianapolis on Saturday and is currently recovering in the hospital in stable condition. We are deeply grateful to the medical team for their exceptional care and support,” a network statement said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Mark, and we ask that everyone please respect his and his family’s privacy during this time.”
USC posted a statement on X which read, “The USC Football community sends our support to Mark and his family.”
The Long Beach native, who grew up in Orange County and played football at Santa Margarita High School and later Mission Viejo High School, underwent surgery for his wounds, according to Fox59, a Fox News affiliate in Indianapolis.
Sanchez was drafted by the New York Jets in 2009 with the fifth overall pick. The Jets made the AFC championship game in each of his first two seasons, but lost both times. He also played for the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys and Washington.
He joined Fox Sports as a game analyst in 2021.
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