A Harris County grand jury indicted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Mario Alberto Morales on Friday in Houston on a felony charge that he struck a fleeing pedestrian with his vehicle during a pursuit on Oct. 10.1,2,3,4,5
The charge is aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said at a news conference on Oct. 30. He said the case centers on Miguel Parra-Hernandez, who suffered a broken leg when he was hit, and he said a conviction would carry a prison sentence of two to 20 years.1,4,5
Teare said Morales engaged in a pursuit of a vehicle being driven by Parra-Hernandez on Oct. 10. During the pursuit, Parra-Hernandez and another person left the vehicle and fled on foot, and Teare said Morales then hit Parra-Hernandez with his vehicle.5
The encounter was recorded on video. At the news conference, Teare and officials watched body camera footage as it was played, and footage described as coming from Morales' body camera showed Parra-Hernandez on the ground and groaning in pain after he was hit.1,5
Teare said the vehicle involved was a 2025 Jeep Grand Cherokee. In the footage, the officer wearing the body camera said to someone else, "Like, I was coming in, and I hit him with the car," according to the account of the video presented at the news conference.5
Teare identified Parra-Hernandez as a Mexican national who has been living in Texas for more than 30 years without documentation. Teare said Parra-Hernandez does not have a criminal record and did not have a deportation order against him.5
ICE gave a different account of how the man was hit. In the immediate aftermath of the incident, an ICE spokesperson said in a statement that Parra-Hernandez ran in front of the ICE vehicle.5
Teare noted whom agents were seeking at the time. He said ICE had said agents were pursuing a man named Jose Mendoza-Cervantes, whom the agency described as a Mexican national and undocumented immigrant. Teare said Friday that Mendoza-Cervantes has apparently been dead for nine years.5
The officer was identified as 33-year-old Mario Alberto Morales. The indictment alleges that Morales drove his vehicle into Parra-Hernandez.1,4
Cesar Espinosa of FIEL spoke during a news conference about the ICE action that left Parra-Hernandez with a broken leg.5
