A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer has been indicted on a felony charge after allegedly hitting a man with an SUV during a pursuit in Houston earlier this month.
Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare announced Friday that a grand jury indicted ICE Officer Mario Alberto Morales on one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. If convicted, Morales could face between two and 20 years in prison.
The case involves Miguel Parra-Hernandez, a 48-year-old Mexican national who was struck on October 10. Teare said Parra-Hernandez has lived in Texas for more than 30 years without legal documentation, but does not have a criminal record and did not have an active deportation order at the time of the incident.
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Parra-Hernandez remains in ICE custody while recovering from his injuries. According to Teare, he has missed court dates related to deportation proceedings because he has been unable to leave a rehabilitation facility.
The incident began when Morales pursued a vehicle allegedly being driven by Parra-Hernandez. During the pursuit, Parra-Hernandez and another person reportedly abandoned the vehicle and ran away on foot. At a news conference Friday, Teare played video that he said showed Morales driving toward Parra-Hernandez. The vehicle, identified by prosecutors as a 2025 Jeep Grand Cherokee, allegedly struck the man and caused a serious leg injury.
Body-camera footage reportedly shows Parra-Hernandez lying on the ground and groaning in pain after the collision. In the recording, an officer wearing the body camera can be heard saying, “Like, I was coming in, and I hit him with the car.”
Teare said the evidence shows Morales intentionally steered the vehicle into Parra-Hernandez and ran over both of his legs.
“Morales aggressively steered his vehicle into Parra-Hernandez,” Teare said.
The district attorney’s account conflicts with an initial statement from an ICE spokesperson, who told CBS News that Parra-Hernandez had run in front of the agency vehicle.
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During the news conference, prosecutors also played a recording of Morales’ 911 call. Parra-Hernandez can reportedly be heard screaming in the background as Morales requested an ambulance.
Morales told the dispatcher that Parra-Hernandez had struck his vehicle.
“We’re following this guy, trying to pull him over, he jumped out of the vehicle, I tried to get around him, and he hit my car,” Morales said in the recording.
Teare said Morales is expected to surrender to authorities soon, although he may not be taken into custody immediately. Prosecutors have been communicating with Morales’ attorney regarding the indictment.
The case has drawn additional attention because Parra-Hernandez was reportedly not wanted on a criminal warrant or subject to a deportation order when the incident occurred. Teare said the injured man has remained under federal custody while receiving medical treatment.
The aggravated-assault charge alleges that Morales used his vehicle as a deadly weapon. Prosecutors will now have to establish the circumstances of the pursuit, the officer’s intent, and whether the vehicle was used unlawfully against Parra-Hernandez.
Morales is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. The indictment marks the beginning of the criminal case rather than a final determination of wrongdoing.