An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer has been indicted in Texas after allegedly driving into a man during an enforcement operation in Harris County, near Houston.
Mario Alberto Morales, 33, faces a second-degree felony charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon over the collision involving 48-year-old Miguel Parra Hernandez on October 10. The vehicle is alleged to have been used as the weapon. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/18d36105004d806c41618b800b70f59c))
Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare announced the indictment at a news conference on Friday, where prosecutors released body-camera footage and audio of the 911 call made after the incident.
The footage appears to show Morales steering his unmarked Jeep towards Parra Hernandez as he ran through a shopping-centre car park. Morales then gets out and approaches the injured man, who can be heard crying out in pain.
According to the Associated Press, Morales is heard telling another officer: “I was coming in and I hit him with the car.” The agent later told emergency dispatchers that the man had been struck after officers attempted to stop a vehicle. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/18d36105004d806c41618b800b70f59c))
ICE officer denies deliberately striking man
Morales’s lawyer, David Lindenmuth, said his client was innocent and maintained that the collision was an accident. He said Morales had been attempting to close the distance with people fleeing from a vehicle when another car came into his path.
“He was trying to avoid striking another vehicle with his,” Mr Lindenmuth said, rejecting the allegation that Morales had intentionally driven into Parra Hernandez.
ICE also denied that the collision was deliberate, describing the indictment as a political act by local officials. The agency said Parra Hernandez had run in front of the vehicle during an attempt to arrest people who had fled on foot.
US Attorney Aaron Reitz’s office said it had not been consulted before the indictment and that it saw no basis for federal charges at present. The office said it would continue to assess evidence and legal issues within its jurisdiction.
Morales was not in custody when the indictment was announced and a warrant was expected to be issued. His lawyer said he was in Texas and would surrender on Monday, although no details were given about where that would happen.
Man remains in federal custody after collision
Parra Hernandez suffered serious injuries, including a broken leg, and remains in federal custody at a rehabilitation facility while recovering. Prosecutors said he had lived in Harris County for more than 30 years and did not have a criminal record or deportation order. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/18d36105004d806c41618b800b70f59c))
The incident began when ICE agents pursued a white Chevrolet pickup near Clay Road and Highway 6. Two men left the vehicle and ran in different directions before Parra Hernandez was struck by the Jeep.
ICE said the operation had been targeting Jose Mendoza-Cervantes, whom the agency described as a deportation target with previous arrests. Parra Hernandez’s lawyer has said her client did not know him and was not travelling with him.
Questions have also been raised about the identity of the intended target. Relatives and an immigration rights organisation said Mendoza-Cervantes died in 2017, although ICE has not responded publicly to that claim. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/18d36105004d806c41618b800b70f59c))
A court affidavit obtained by KPRC said investigators reviewing surveillance footage saw the Jeep accelerate towards Parra Hernandez, turn left and line up with him before the collision. The document said he was running away with his back to the vehicle, contradicting ICE’s account that he had run in front of it. ([click2houston.com](https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2026/10/30/search-warrant-identifies-ice-agent-who-ran-over-man-in-houston-area/))
The indictment is an allegation, and Morales has not entered a plea. If convicted of the second-degree felony, he could face between two and 20 years in prison under Texas law.
