By Ahmed Abdelsalam
A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for intentionally ramming his vehicle into a Mexican construction worker in Houston on Oct. 10, prosecutors announced Friday.
Surveillance footage contradicts ICE account
Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said Mario Alberto Morales was driving an unmarked black Jeep Cherokee when it struck Miguel Parra Hernandez, 48, as he ran away. Surveillance video shows the SUV speeding over a median and driving toward Parra Hernandez; the moment of impact is blocked by another vehicle, but the footage shows the SUV inches from him and then Parra Hernandez on the ground. He suffered a broken leg and was taken into custody.
Questions raised about ICE operation target
ICE identified the operation's target as Jose Mendoza-Cervantes, claiming he was seen entering a vehicle with Parra Hernandez. Family members said they had never heard of Mendoza-Cervantes, and an immigrant rights group reported his daughter stated her father, whose real name is Jose Hector Jimenez, died in 2017. Teare's office said its investigation found no evidence the two men were in a vehicle together.
DA investigates separate fatal shooting
Teare, a Democrat, is also investigating the July fatal shooting of 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by an ICE officer. He accused the Department of Homeland Security of not cooperating and of destroying evidence "either intentionally or through gross negligence." DHS claimed Salgado Araujo "weaponized his vehicle" before the shooting, but passengers in the van disputed that account.
Officer fled scene before impound
Teare said the ICE officer who struck Parra Hernandez fled the scene before the vehicle could be impounded. A witness to the July shooting was seen entering a courthouse area reserved for grand jury proceedings in September. Teare has not given a timetable for completing the shooting investigation.
