Harris County Grand Jury Indicts ICE Officer in October Crash

A Harris County grand jury returned an indictment against ICE agent Mario Morales after surveillance video and investigators suggested he deliberately struck Miguel Parra Hernandez with an SUV during an Oct. 10 enforcement operation in northwest Harris County. The incident occurred in a parking lot near Clay Road and Highway 6 when Parra Hernandez ran in front of the vehicle after officers pursued a different suspect.

Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare and the head of his civil rights division, Je’Rell Rogers, presented the case to the grand jury on Friday morning. Teare told local media the investigation was being treated as aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, citing video that he said showed an “intentional” strike.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has said the man was hit after running in front of the vehicle and described claims of intent as “reckless and false.” A search warrant affidavit indicates ICE officers left the scene with the vehicle before investigators could secure it. A judge authorized a search warrant on Oct. 15, but DHS and ICE did not respond to the request, and the vehicle was not provided for forensic analysis.

The New York Times later reported that the individual ICE officers claimed to be targeting had died nearly a decade earlier, according to his sister. KPRC 2 has contacted defense counsel for the ICE officer and DHS for comment. District Attorney Teare is scheduled to hold a news conference with Sheriff Ed Gonzalez at 10:30 a.m.