ICE Agent to Surrender After Car Crash Injury Charge

Mario Alberto Morales, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, will turn himself in at a courthouse on Monday. His attorney, David Lindenmuth, confirmed the plan after a grand jury indicted Morales on Friday. The charge is felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Morales, 33, struck Miguel Parra Hernandez with his unmarked SUV on October 10.

Parra Hernandez, a 48-year-old construction worker, broke his leg in the incident. He is currently recovering at a rehabilitation facility while remaining in federal custody. Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare told reporters on Friday that Parra Hernandez is still in custody. The collision occurred as Morales chased Parra Hernandez through a parking lot.

Surveillance video shows Morales' vehicle crossing a median to hit Parra Hernandez as the man ran away. Body camera footage played by Teare on Friday captured Morales making sharp turns before stopping the car. He exited the vehicle and turned toward Parra Hernandez, who lay on the ground screaming. Morales stated, “I was coming in, and I hit him with the car,” according to the audio.

Lindenmuth previously said that the incident was “clearly just an accident.” He also said local officials had “invented a crime out of thin air.” According to a Harris County Sheriff’s Office incident report, Parra Hernandez told deputies he fled the traffic stop when Morales began pulling on a mask. Parra Hernandez said Morales “threw the car” at him. Morales told deputies he did not brake before the impact but did not intentionally strike Parra Hernandez.

ICE stated that the operation targeted Jose Mendoza-Cervantes. The agency said Mendoza-Cervantes was seen getting into a car with Parra Hernandez. Mendoza-Cervantes’ daughter told the immigrants’ rights group FIEL that her father died nearly ten years ago. Morales has served as an ICE agent for just over a year, according to his attorney.

Teare noted that authorities hold a “significant amount of information” on Morales. He said he believed law enforcement agencies would not typically hire someone with his background. Court records show Morales was charged with a misdemeanor in 2013 for stealing four DVDs. Those charges were dismissed after he paid a $270 fine and reached a plea deal.

Morales ran for Texas’ 34th congressional district in this year’s election cycle under the name “Bam Morales.” In a Ballotpedia survey, he listed veterans’ rights, economic issues, and illegal immigration as top priorities. He noted he was endorsed by the organization “Make America Godlier Again.” In 2024 video from a Christian conference, Morales acted as a Spanish translator for televangelist Johnson Suleman.