ICE agent charged with assault for hitting a fleeing man with his car will turn himself in on Monday

A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer, Mario Alberto Morales, will turn himself in on Monday after being charged with aggravated assault for hitting a fleeing Mexican man with his car in Houston, according to his attorney. The incident occurred on October 10th when Morales chased Parra Hernandez through a parking lot and struck him with his unmarked SUV.

Parra Hernandez, 48, suffered a broken leg and is currently recovering in federal custody. Morales struck Parra Hernandez as he escaped the scene, according to surveillance footage and Morales' body camera footage. The ICE officer claims the incident was an accident, while Parra Hernandez alleges Morales threw his car at him after Morales started pulling on a mask.

Morales, a former Army and law enforcement officer, has been with ICE for about a year and was previously charged with misdemeanor theft of four DVDs in 2013.