ICE officer indicted for hitting man in car

Mario Alberto Morales has been indicted for ramming his SUV into a 48-year-old construction worker in a Houston parking lot.

The charges stem from an incident on Oct. 10 when Morales, driving an unmarked vehicle, struck Miguel Parra Hernandez. Parra Hernandez was fleeing during a pursuit. He suffered a broken leg and is currently in federal custody at a rehabilitation facility. Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare announced the indictment on Friday. The grand jury returned a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a second-degree felony.

Morales has worked for ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations for just over a year. He is one of few federal officers to face criminal charges during the current immigration crackdown. Teare said the evidence is clear and contradicts the agency's initial claim that the worker ran into the vehicle. The DA played body camera video at a news conference. The footage shows Morales making sharp steering moves before the SUV shakes. He stops the car and turns toward Parra Hernandez, who is on the ground holding his leg in pain. Morales says on camera that he hit the man with the car.

ICE maintains that local officials lack authority to investigate federal officers acting on duty. The agency called the intentional strike allegation reckless and false. Morales' attorney David Lindenmuth said his client did not commit a crime and is a former military member. Lindenmuth accused Teare of inventing a crime for political gain. He described the incident as an accident. Morales was not in custody on Friday, and a warrant for his arrest will be issued.

Investigators also questioned the target of the operation. ICE released a photo of Jose Mendoza-Cervantes as the suspect. Family members of Parra Hernandez said they had never heard of him. An immigrant rights group said Mendoza-Cervantes' daughter stated her father died in 2017. Teare's office found no evidence that Parra Hernandez and Mendoza-Cervantes were in a vehicle together. ICE has not responded to the claim that the suspect had been dead for years.

The incident adds to scrutiny of ICE conduct in Houston. Teare said DHS has not cooperated with his investigation. He accused ICE of destroying evidence either intentionally or through gross negligence. Morales left the scene before his vehicle could be impounded. In July, an ICE officer fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in his van. DHS said Araujo weaponized his vehicle, a claim disputed by other passengers.

Parra Hernandez lived in Harris County for more than 30 years without a deportation order or criminal record. The DA's office continues to review the case as it prepares for the next phase of legal proceedings.