HOUSTON (AP) — A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer accused of intentionally ramming his car into a Mexican construction worker in Houston has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, prosecutors announced Friday.
The Harris County District Attorney’s office stated that Mario Alberto Morales was driving an unmarked black vehicle on Oct. 10 when it struck Miguel Parra Hernandez, 48, as the worker was running away. Parra Hernandez sustained a broken leg and was subsequently taken into custody.
ICE has previously stated that Parra Hernandez stepped in front of the vehicle and has called accusations that the officer intentionally struck him false and reckless. However, District Attorney Sean Teare, a Democrat, maintains that surveillance footage contradicts the ICE account. The video shows a Jeep Cherokee speeding over a median and heading toward Parra Hernandez, who was running. While the car's direct impact is obscured by another vehicle, the footage shows the SUV passing very close to him before he is seen on the ground.
Teare's office is also investigating the fatal shooting of a Mexican homebuilder in July by an ICE officer, an incident that led to protests in Houston. The district attorney has accused ICE of destroying evidence, either intentionally or through gross negligence, and stated that the officer involved in the October incident fled the scene before the vehicle could be impounded.
Further questioning of ICE's account has arisen from other aspects of the operation. ICE released a photo of Jose Mendoza-Cervantes, identifying him as the target of the operation and stating he was seen entering a vehicle with Parra Hernandez. Family members of Parra Hernandez reported never having heard of Mendoza-Cervantes. The immigrant rights group FIEL stated that Mendoza-Cervantes' daughter confirmed her father died in 2017 and that his actual name is Jose Hector Jimenez. Teare’s office has also stated its investigation has not found evidence that Parra Hernandez and the individual identified as Mendoza-Cervantes were in a vehicle together.
ICE has not responded to claims that the individual they identified as the target has been deceased for nearly a decade. Parra Hernandez has resided in the U.S. for over 30 years and was living in the country without authorization, according to FIEL.
In July, ICE stated that Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, 52, was fatally shot by an ICE officer after he had "weaponized his vehicle." ICE claimed the officer fired in self-defense. However, other passengers in Salgado Araujo’s van have disputed this account. Teare has not provided a timeline for the completion of his office's investigation into that shooting.