Houston ICE Officer Indicted After Allegedly Striking Fleeing Man With Vehicle

Indictment follows Houston pursuit

The incident happened Oct. 10, while ICE officers were investigating Jose Mendoza-Cervantes, Teare said. The indictment is the first of its kind against an ICE officer in Texas. Morales’ attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Video and injury accounts

Body-camera footage released by Teare’s office shows Morales pursuing a white car. Bakery surveillance video shows Parra Hernández and another person leaving the car and running away; Morales then appears to drive toward Parra Hernández and hit him.

Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said Parra Hernández suffered significant injuries, including multiple fractures to his right leg. His attorney, Kim Bruno, said he also sustained nerve damage and continues to experience mobility limitations, chronic pain, anxiety and depression after surgery. Bruno said it is unclear whether he will walk again. In a released 911 call, Morales told the dispatcher that Parra Hernández jumped from the vehicle and hit his car as Morales tried to get around him.

Responses to the charge

Morales was placed on leave days after the incident. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said then that leave was standard practice during an internal investigation and did not indicate wrongdoing. After the indictment, an ICE spokesperson called the charge “reckless and false” and a “political stunt.” The spokesperson said federal officers acting in their duties could be investigated only by federal agencies and argued local governments lacked authority to conduct the investigation.