An Indianapolis man says faith led him to defend himself after former NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez allegedly attacked him last weekend.

WXIN reported that 69-year-old Perry Tole was on his overnight route collecting cooking oil to recycle when he encountered Sanchez, who was in town to call the Colts-Raiders game for Fox Sports.

Tole had parked his recycling truck in an alley between two hotels when Sanchez confronted him about blocking the area where the former quarterback had been running sprints.

According to police and surveillance video, an argument erupted as both men recorded each other on their phones.

Sanchez allegedly tried to enter Tole’s truck, chased him down, and cornered him near a dumpster.

Tole said he first used pepper spray, then a knife, as Sanchez continued to pursue him.

“Faith guided my hands to protect myself,” Tole told his friend Gregg Keesling, who spoke with WXIN.

“I’m fairly positive he has never been in a fight in his entire life,” Keesling said. “He’s a very peaceful man.”

Tole admitted to stabbing Sanchez “two or three times” in the chest.

Video later showed a wounded Sanchez staggering down a street in a blood-soaked shirt before collapsing at a bar.

A bartender used bar towels to slow Sanchez’s bleeding until help arrived, WXIN reported.

Tole, who suffered a deep gash to his cheek, was also hospitalized.

“He’s beat up pretty bad, both emotionally and physically,” Keesling said. “He needs to heal.”

Sanchez was later charged with felony battery with serious bodily injury.

If convicted, he faces between one and six years in prison.

He was initially arrested on three misdemeanors — battery with injury, unlawful entry of a motor vehicle, and public intoxication.

Detectives are examining security footage, phone videos, and witness statements.

“The medical records are going to be extremely important for both individuals,” Bailey said.

Keesling said Tole didn’t know who Sanchez was and only acted out of fear.

“He didn’t ask for this,” Keesling said. “He was trying to avoid it, yet he was left with no other option.”

Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.