A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer, Mario Alberto Morales, was indicted on Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, on a felony charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The charge follows an Oct. 10 incident in which Morales struck a 48-year-old construction worker, Miguel Parra Hernandez, with his unmarked SUV during a pursuit in Houston. Morales’ attorney, David Lindenmuth, stated that the agent will turn himself in at a courthouse on Monday, Nov. 2, 2026.
The incident occurred as ICE agents were conducting an operation. ICE officials stated that the intended target was a man named Jose Mendoza-Cervantes, whom they reported seeing enter a car with Parra Hernandez. However, the daughter of Mendoza-Cervantes told the advocacy group FIEL that her father has been dead for nearly 10 years. According to a Harris County Sheriff’s Office incident report, Parra Hernandez fled a traffic stop when Morales began putting on a mask.
Surveillance and body camera footage released by authorities shows Morales’ vehicle driving over a median and striking Parra Hernandez as he ran through a parking lot. Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare noted that the body camera footage shows the agent making sharp turns with the steering wheel. In the recording, Morales is heard saying, "I was coming in, and I hit him with the car," after stopping to exit the vehicle. Parra Hernandez, who suffered a broken leg, is currently in federal custody at a rehabilitation facility.
Morales, 33, has served as an ICE agent for a little over a year. He previously served in the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division and worked as a law enforcement and corrections officer. In 2026, he unsuccessfully ran for Texas' 34th congressional district under the name "Bam Morales." Court records show Morales was charged with a misdemeanor for theft in 2013, which was dismissed after he paid a fine and reached a plea agreement.
Concrete day-to-day changes for the parties involved began following the Oct. 10 incident and the subsequent Oct. 30 indictment. Parra Hernandez faces ongoing medical recovery and continued detention, while Morales faces a felony legal process and a scheduled surrender date of Nov. 2. The next steps in the legal process include Morales turning himself in on Monday, followed by subsequent court appearances to address the felony assault charge.