Texas prosecutor: ICE agent appeared to intentionally strike man with vehicle

A Texas prosecutor said a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent appeared to intentionally strike a man with a vehicle in Houston after the man fled from pursuit. Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare stated that his office has opened an investigation that could result in criminal charges.

Surveillance footage shows Miguel Parra Hernandez, 48, and another individual jumping from a white truck and running as a dark SUV pursues them. The footage then shows a vehicle striking Parra Hernandez, who is seen on the ground moments later. Parra Hernandez required surgery for a broken leg following the incident, according to Cesar Espinosa, executive director of FIEL Houston, an immigrant rights organization assisting the man's family.

"In a case like this, the most obvious criminal charge is aggravated assault with a deadly weapon," Teare told FOX 26 Houston. "Meaning the car was used as a deadly weapon. And it certainly is what appears to have happened based on the surveillance footage."

Tim Oberle, an ICE spokesperson in Houston, said in a statement that "As ICE officers attempted to apprehend the illegal aliens, Miguel Parra-Hernandez ran in front of an ICE vehicle and was struck." Spokespersons for the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Espinosa said Parra Hernandez has been in the U.S. for 34 years and was on his way to work when the encounter began. Espinosa declined to share Parra Hernandez's immigration status.

Teare also expressed concern that ICE and DHS have not cooperated with his office's investigation. He noted that in July, DHS also did not provide information after an ICE officer fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, 52. That shooting was among at least 10 deaths involving encounters with immigration officers since the start of the Trump administration's mass deportation campaign.