USAupdated 1h ago2 min read
MapHarris County Grand Jury Indicts ICE Officer Mario Alberto Morales for Striking Miguel Parra Hernandez
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Harris County jury indicted ICE officer Mario Alberto Morales for aggravated assault with deadly weapon. Occurred during a Houston vehicle pursuit, striking pedestrian Miguel Parra Hernandez on foot.
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5 outlets told this the same way.
Indictment in Houston
A Harris County grand jury indicted ICE officer Mario Alberto Morales on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after Morales drove into Miguel Parra Hernandez during an Oct. 10 vehicle pursuit in Houston.
Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said Morales "aggressively steered his vehicle" into Parra Hernandez, and Teare played body-camera footage alongside surveillance footage during a press briefing.
The indictment alleges Morales struck Parra Hernandez, who suffered significant injuries including multiple fractures to his right leg, and Teare said Parra Hernandez was at a rehabilitation facility under ICE custody.
ICE said Parra Hernandez "ran in front of an ICE vehicle and was struck," while Teare said the case was "as clear as any that I've ever prosecuted or investigated."
Competing accounts
ICE spokespersons defended Morales by calling the indictment "nothing more than a political stunt by Houston sanctuary politicians," and the spokesperson said allegations that Morales intentionally hit Parra-Hernandez were "reckless and false." David Lindenmuth, a McAllen-based attorney representing Morales, criticized the indictment as a rushed "political prosecution" and said the crash was an accident.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said the indictment showed prosecutors holding law enforcement officers responsible for upholding their "extraordinary authority," and Gonzalez said, "Our responsibility is not to be guided by politics or public pressure." NBC News played newly released body camera video that showed Parra crying out in pain, including the moment when Parra cries in Spanish, "You ran over me."
Prison, deportation, witnesses
Teare said the charge is a second-degree felony punishable by two to 20 years, and Teare said Morales was hired by ICE in August 2025 as part of a surge of ICE hires. Teare said ICE has already deported at least two material witnesses to the case, and Teare said investigators met with one of those witnesses shortly before they were deported.
The Texas Tribune said Teare released a recording of a 911 call in which Morales told a dispatcher, "I tried to get around him, and he hit my car," and Morales later told the dispatcher that Parra-Hernandez was handcuffed. Teare said Parra-Hernandez is still facing deportation, and ICE said the incident is under active internal investigation while Morales remains on administrative leave following the crash.