An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer accused of striking a Mexican immigrant with an SUV during an enforcement operation near Houston has been indicted on a felony assault charge, after an investigation that local prosecutors say uncovered evidence contradicting the agency’s account of what happened.
Mario Alberto Morales was released on a $30,000 bond Monday following a court hearing. A grand jury indicted him Friday on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He is accused of intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly causing serious bodily injury to Miguel Parra Hernandez by striking him with a motor vehicle.
Morales’ next court hearing is scheduled for December 2, according to his attorney, David Lindenmuth.
The October 10 incident left Parra Hernandez, 48, with multiple leg fractures, nerve damage, and other serious injuries. His attorney says he has undergone surgery and continues to suffer from limited mobility and chronic pain.
But the case has raised questions beyond the alleged assault itself: Why was ICE pursuing the men in the first place, and why does the agency’s explanation appear to conflict with evidence presented by local investigators?
Video evidence contradicts ICE’s account, DA says
According to ICE, Morales was driving a Jeep Grand Cherokee near Houston when he began pursuing a vehicle occupied by Parra Hernandez and another man.
The two men eventually abandoned the vehicle and ran on foot, Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said. What happened next became the central focus of the investigation.
During a news conference Friday, Teare played surveillance and body-camera footage that he said showed Morales steering his SUV toward Parra Hernandez and striking him.
“What happened next shocked our entire community,” Teare said.
ICE claimed Parra Hernandez had run in front of the agency vehicle. Teare said that account contradicted the findings of his investigation.
The indictment alleges Morales “intentionally, knowingly, and recklessly” caused serious bodily injury by hitting Parra Hernandez with the vehicle.
ICE has rejected the allegation that the officer deliberately struck the man, calling it “RECKLESS and FALSE” in a statement to The Associated Press. The agency also argued that local officials are not authorized to investigate federal officers carrying out their duties.
Morales’ attorney has characterized the prosecution as political.
“This is political prosecution,” Lindenmuth told CNN, accusing local officials of trying to turn his client into a symbol of ICE misconduct.
He said the collision was an accident and maintained that Morales committed no crime.
Teare, however, said the evidence was unusually clear.
“I’ve reviewed hundreds of cases, some very similar to this,” the district attorney said, citing his experience overseeing prosecutions involving vehicle-related crimes. “The evidence that we have in this case is as clear as any I’ve ever prosecuted or investigated.”
The circumstances surrounding the pursuit have also come under scrutiny.
ICE identified the other occupant in the vehicle as Jose Mendoza-Cervantes, whom the agency said was the target of its operation. But Teare said the man by that name had apparently been dead for nine years.
Parra Hernandez’s brother, Rodolfo Parra Garcia, also told CNN that the man riding with his brother was not the person ICE claimed it was looking for.
“We don’t know him,” he said. “The person ICE was looking for was not the person with my brother.”
According to his brother, Parra Hernandez was on his way to work at a nearby construction site. The men had stopped at a gas station to get water when ICE officers began the operation.
Parra Hernandez had lived in Harris County for more than 30 years, had no criminal record, and was not under a deportation order at the time of the incident, Teare said.
The district attorney also played audio from Morales’ 911 call. The officer told dispatchers that the men had jumped out of their vehicle and that he had tried to get around one of them.
“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 audio, Parra Hernandez can be heard crying out after the collision.
According to CNN, investigators synchronized surveillance footage from a nearby business with Morales’ body-camera video and the footage appeared to show Morales making a hard left turn toward Parra Hernandez just before the impact.
Parra Hernandez’s attorney, Kim Bruno, said the footage tells a different story from the one presented by ICE: her client was running away from the vehicle, not into it.
For Parra Hernandez and his family, the consequences have been devastating.
Bruno said her client suffered multiple fractures, nerve damage, and injuries serious enough to require surgery. He continues to experience mobility problems and chronic pain, along with anxiety and depression.
After spending three hours with him on Thursday, Bruno said her client was focused on accountability and preventing similar incidents.
“All he wants is accountability,” she said. “He is so sympathetic, and all he cares about are the other people, but he’s the one in the bed suffering.”
Parra Garcia previously described the pain of seeing his brother hospitalized.
“My heart broke, seeing my brother lying in a bed without being a criminal,” he told CNN.
Questions about Morales’ background and ICE training
The investigation has also drawn attention to Morales’ hiring and training.
Teare said Morales was among the agency’s so-called “surge hires” in August 2025. His office had not received Morales’ training records, the district attorney said.
Morales previously worked as a corrections officer, served as a pastor, and was a military veteran, according to his attorney. He also filed to run for Texas’ 34th Congressional District in 2025 before dropping out. Lindenmuth said Morales was contracted by ICE as a transportation officer.
Teare declined to discuss the officer’s employment history in detail but questioned whether his background met the standards expected of law enforcement personnel.
The case also comes amid broader scrutiny of ICE vehicle stops and enforcement tactics. CNN previously reported on internal agency guidance requiring officers conducting vehicle stops to complete related training and ensure their vehicles are equipped with lights and sirens.
According to the investigation, Morales was driving an unmarked SUV without emergency lights flashing during the pursuit.
The incident follows two separate fatal shootings involving ICE officers in July: Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston and Joan Sebastian Durán Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine.
Teare said his office had not expected to investigate multiple cases involving federal officers accused of harming members of the community.
‘An ICE badge does not give you free rein’
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said investigators collected video evidence, interviewed witnesses, and worked with prosecutors to establish what happened. His office developed serious concerns about Morales’ actions before presenting its findings to the district attorney.
Teare stressed that his office respects law enforcement but said federal officers are not above the law.
“An ICE badge does not give you free rein to injure, kill, or violate the constitutional rights of anyone,” he said.
He added that he hopes the prosecution sends a clear message to federal officers who believe their badges give them a free pass.
