Harris County grand jury indicts ICE officer in vehicle case

The charge

A Harris County grand jury indicted ICE officer Mario Alberto Morales, 33, on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after an Oct. 10 collision in Houston. The indictment alleges Morales drove his vehicle into Miguel Parra Hernandez while Parra was on foot.

Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said the grand jury returned the indictment Friday morning. He said the charge is a second-degree felony carrying a possible sentence of two to 20 years. An indictment is a formal accusation and does not establish guilt.

Video and conflicting accounts

Teare presented body-camera footage that he said came from Morales alongside security-camera video from a nearby business. The footage shows the officer turn the steering wheel before Parra is struck. Afterward, Parra is shown on the pavement saying in Spanish that the officer ran over him, while the officer says Parra was hit by the vehicle.

Parra’s family and representatives said he suffered injuries to his hip, leg and ankle, including a broken leg. Teare said Parra was receiving rehabilitation care while in ICE custody.

ICE initially said Parra ran in front of the agency’s SUV and was struck. After reviewing video collected from businesses and witnesses, Teare’s office accused Morales of deliberately driving into Parra. ICE rejected that allegation as false and said federal agencies, not local governments, have authority to investigate federal officers acting in the course of their duties. After the indictment, an ICE spokesperson described the case as politically motivated.