A grand jury in Houston indicted Mario Alberto Morales, an officer with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, on Friday on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, the Harris County District Attorney's Office said. Prosecutors accuse Morales of intentionally driving into Miguel Parra Hernandez, 48, on Oct. 10.
According to the district attorney's office, Parra Hernandez was running away during a pursuit through a parking lot when Morales struck and ran over him in an unmarked SUV. District Attorney Sean Teare said Parra Hernandez broke his leg and remains in federal custody at a rehabilitation facility. ICE has said Parra Hernandez ran in front of the vehicle, but Teare said video contradicts that account.
Morales's attorney, David Lindenmuth, said his client did not commit a crime. He accused Teare of seeking the indictment "for political gain." Lindenmuth said Morales had worked as an ICE officer for a little more than a year. The story notes that other federal officers have faced criminal charges over on-the-job actions during the immigration crackdown, and that other encounters are under investigation, including a fatal shooting by an ICE officer in Houston this summer.