Texas grand jury indicts ICE officer who struck pedestrian with vehicle

On October 10, Mario Alberto Morales, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, was indicted by a Texas grand jury on charges of second-degree felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after he intentionally struck Miguel Parra Hernandez, a 48-year-old Mexican construction worker, with his unmarked black vehicle in Houston while the latter was running away during a pursuit. Morales had been on the job for just over a year and turned himself in on November 1, posting $30,000 bond after a hearing before District Court Judge Matthew Peneguy. Hernandez suffered multiple leg fractures and a hip injury but survived. The Harris County District Attorney's Office questioned ICE’s training of Morales, prompting ICE to deny allegations that the incident was intentional and maintain that Morales acted within his duties as an officer.