Houston ICE officer indicted for car assault

Mario Alberto Morales, a 33-year-old U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, was indicted on Friday on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The Harris County grand jury issued the charge after prosecutors reviewed video evidence from an incident that occurred on October 10.

District Attorney Sean Teare announced the indictment at a news conference, playing body camera footage and a 911 recording. The video shows Morales driving an unmarked Jeep Cherokee through a parking lot. Surveillance footage indicates the vehicle sped over a median toward Miguel Parra Hernandez, a 48-year-old construction worker who was running away. The SUV struck Parra Hernandez, who subsequently broke his leg.

Teare stated that the evidence contradicts the agency's initial account that Parra Hernandez ran into the vehicle. In the body camera video, Morales is heard saying, “He got hit with a car, bro,” and later, “I was coming in and I hit him with the car.” Parra Hernandez remains in federal custody at a rehabilitation facility.

Morales is not currently in custody, and a warrant for his arrest will be issued. He faces a second-degree felony charge. His attorney, David Lindenmuth, argued that the indictment was driven by political motives. Lindenmuth described Morales as a former military member and a good man who committed no crime. “To have him charged for what was so clearly just an accident, the DA’s office, the DA himself, has invented a crime out of thin air,” Lindenmuth told the Associated Press.

The incident raised questions about the target of the ICE operation. The agency claimed Jose Mendoza-Cervantes was the suspect, stating he was seen entering a vehicle with Parra Hernandez. Family members said they had never heard of Mendoza-Cervantes. FIEL, an immigrant rights group assisting the family, reported that Mendoza-Cervantes' daughter said her father died in 2017. Teare’s office said its investigation found no evidence the two men were together in a vehicle.

Parra Hernandez has lived in Harris County for more than 30 years and had no prior criminal record or deportation order, according to Teare. The district attorney said Morales left the scene before the vehicle could be impounded. Teare also noted that the Department of Homeland Security has not cooperated with the investigation and accused the agency of destroying evidence.

This case is one of few criminal charges filed against federal immigration officers during the current administration. Teare’s office is also investigating a July incident in which an ICE officer fatally shot 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in his van. DHS stated the officer fired in self-defense because Araujo weaponized his vehicle, a claim disputed by other passengers.