ICE Officer Indicted for Aggravated Assault in Houston Parking Lot Collision
Prosecutors say video contradicts the agency's claim that the victim ran into the vehicle, and the suspect faces a second-degree felony charge.
By Giulia Marshall ·
A federal immigration officer was indicted on Friday by a Harris County grand jury for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The charge stems from an October 10 incident in which Mario Alberto Morales, 33, allegedly rammed his unmarked SUV into a fleeing construction worker. District Attorney Sean Teare announced the decision at a news conference, presenting body camera footage that he said disproves the agency's initial account of the crash.
The victim, Miguel Parra Hernandez, 48, was running through a parking lot when the vehicle struck him. Parra Hernandez suffered a broken leg and is currently in federal custody at a rehabilitation facility. Teare stated that surveillance video shows a Jeep Cherokee speeding over a median toward the man. The district attorney emphasized that the evidence is as clear as any he has prosecuted, noting that the footage directly contradicts the Immigration and Customs Enforcement claim that Parra Hernandez ran in front of the car.
Morales has worked as an ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations officer for just over a year. His attorney, David Lindenmuth, maintains that the collision was an accident and accused Teare of seeking political gain. Lindenmuth described his client as a former military member and public servant who has now had a crime invented out of thin air. Morales is not currently in custody, but a warrant for his arrest was set to be issued.
ICE has contested local jurisdiction, asserting that state officials lack authority to investigate federal officers acting in the course of their duties. In a written statement, the agency called the allegations of intentional impact reckless and false. The agency also provided a separate narrative regarding the target of the operation that day, claiming they were looking for Jose Mendoza-Cervantes. Teare’s office stated its investigation found no evidence that Parra Hernandez and Mendoza-Cervantes were in a vehicle together, contrary to the federal account.
Family members of Parra Hernandez said they had never heard of Mendoza-Cervantes before the arrest. FIEL, a Houston immigrant rights group assisting the family, reported that the daughter of the man ICE identified told them their father died in 2017. Parra Hernandez has lived in Harris County for more than 30 years and did not have a deportation order or criminal record, according to the district attorney.
Teare has raised concerns about Morales’ background without providing specific details. He also accused the Department of Homeland Security of failing to cooperate with investigators and of destroying evidence either intentionally or through gross negligence. Teare noted that Morales left the scene before the vehicle could be impounded. The office is also investigating a July incident where an ICE officer fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in his van, a case where DHS claimed self-defense while other passengers disputed the account.
