Surrender Scheduled in Houston After ICE Vehicle Strike Indictment
On Monday, federal immigration officer Mario Alberto Morales is scheduled to turn himself in at a Houston courthouse after a grand jury indicted him on a felony charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to his defense attorney, David Lindenmuth. The case stems from an October 10 incident where Morales, driving an unmarked SUV, struck 48-year-old construction worker Miguel Parra Hernandez during a foot pursuit through a parking lot.
The collision left Parra Hernandez with a broken leg. He is currently recovering at a rehabilitation facility while remaining in federal custody, Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare told reporters on Friday. Surveillance footage released previously shows the unmarked vehicle driving over a median and hitting Parra Hernandez as he runs away. Body camera footage played by Teare showed Morales making sharp turns with his steering wheel before stopping, exiting the vehicle, and turning toward Parra Hernandez as he lay on the ground screaming.
Disputing Intent Behind the Vehicle Strike
The core dispute centers on intent. Lindenmuth previously told the Associated Press that the incident was “clearly just an accident” and that local officials had “invented a crime out of thin air.” According to a Harris County Sheriff’s Office incident report, Parra Hernandez told deputies he fled a traffic stop because Morales started pulling on a mask, and that the agent “threw the car” at him. Morales told deputies he did not brake before the impact, but maintained he did not intentionally strike the man.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement stated that the target of the operation was Jose Mendoza-Cervantes, whom the agency said was seen getting into a car with Parra Hernandez. However, Mendoza-Cervantes’ daughter told the immigrants’ rights group FIEL that her father has been dead for nearly a decade. ICE has maintained that Parra Hernandez ran in front of Morales’ car.
Background and Prior Record of the Agent
Morales, 33, has served as an ICE agent for a little over a year, according to Lindenmuth. Public records show he was charged with a misdemeanor in 2013 for stealing four DVDs, a case that was dismissed after he paid a $270 fine and struck a plea deal. He also ran an unsuccessful congressional campaign in Texas’ 34th congressional district under the name “Bam Morales,” during which he noted his background in the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division and as a corrections and law enforcement officer.
District Attorney Teare stated on Friday that authorities possess a significant amount of information regarding Morales, noting that law enforcement agencies typically do not hire individuals with certain background elements, though he did not elaborate further on those specifics.
