Texas grand jury indicts ICE officer accused of running over man in Houston

A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, Mario Alberto Morales, has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after hitting a Mexican construction worker with his car in Houston on October 10, according to prosecutors. The incident occurred when Morales was driving an unmarked black vehicle in Houston.

The victim, Miguel Parra Hernandez, 48, was allegedly running away from authorities at the time of the accident. He was later apprehended with a broken leg. The case was brought by District Attorney Sean Teare, who also investigates the fatal shooting of another Mexican homebuilder in July that sparked protests in Houston. Surveillance footage contradicts Morales' claim that Parra Hernandez intentionally stepped in front of his car, while Teare contends that the footage contradicts this statement.

ICE asserts that Parra Hernandez was the target of the operation and was seen entering a vehicle with another man, Jose Mendoza-Cervantes, though family members of Parra Hernandez dispute this claim, stating that Mendoza-Cervantes is dead and his real name is Jose Hector Jimenez. Teare's office has also found that Parra Hernandez and Mendoza-Cervantes were not in a vehicle together.

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, has not cooperated with Teare's investigation, accusing the agency of destroying evidence.