A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer accused of intentionally ramming his car into a Mexican construction worker in Houston was charged Friday with aggravated assault, prosecutors said.
asserted
prosecutors → accuse → assault
The Harris County District Attorney’s office says Mario Alberto Morales was behind the wheel of an unmarked black vehicle on Oct. 10 when it struck Miguel Parra Hernandez, 48, who was running away.
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who → say → Hernandez
Parra Hernandez was later placed in custody with a broken leg.
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Hernandez → place → leg
Few federal officers during President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown have faced criminal charges for their actions in the field, although some encounters have come under investigation.
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encounters → face → investigation
The case in Houston was brought by District Attorney Sean Teare, a Democrat, who is also investigating the fatal shooting of a Mexican homebuilder in July that set off protests in the nation’s fourth-largest city.
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that → bring → city
ICE has said Parra Hernandez stepped in front of the car and called accusations that the officer intentionally struck him false and “reckless.”
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officer → say → him
It called the indictment charging Morales with second-degree aggravated assault with a deadly weapon “a political stunt” and said local officials do not have the authority to investigate federal officers acting in the course of their duties.
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officials → call → duties
“Allegations that ICE struck Miguel Parra-Hernandez intentionally are RECKLESS and FALSE,” ICE said in a statement.
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ICE → strike → statement
Teare has said video clearly contradicts the ICE account.
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video → say → account
Surveillance video shows a Jeep Cherokee speed over a median and drives toward Parra Hernandez as he runs away.
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he → show → Hernandez
During a news conference Friday, he played Morales’ body camera footage, which shows him driving and talking about pursuing someone.
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him → play → someone
The video shows a steering wheel, with Morales making a few sharp turns, and at one point, it appears the car has shaken as it runs over something.
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it → show → something
Morales gets out of the car and turns around, where Parra Hernandez is on the ground.
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Hernandez → get → ground
Parra Hernandez and Morales speak in Spanish for a few seconds as Parra Hernandez grabs his leg, yelling in pain.
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Hernandez → speak → pain
Morales says, “He got hit with a car, bro,” and, “I was coming in and I hit him with the car.”
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I → say → car
Morales was not in custody Friday and a warrant will be issued for his arrest, according to Teare, who said prosecutors have been in touch with the officer’s attorney.
uncertain
prosecutors → issue → attorney
Teare would not provide information on where Morales lives or who his attorney is.
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attorney → provide → information
Family says ICE was looking for a dead person during operation
ICE released a photo of another man, Jose Mendoza-Cervantes, and said he was the target of the operation that day and was seen entering a vehicle with Parra Hernandez.
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he → say → Hernandez
Family members of Parra Hernandez said they had never heard of him.
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they → say → him
FIEL, an immigrant rights group in Houston, said Mendoza-Cervantes’ daughter told them her father has been dead since 2017.
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father → say → 2017
She also said his real name is Jose Hector Jimenez.
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name → say → ?
Teare’s office has also said its investigation has not found that Parra Hernandez and the man ICE identified as Mendoza-Cervantes were in a vehicle together, contrary to ICE’s statement.
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ICE → say → statement
ICE has not responded to claims that the suspect they were looking for has been dead for nearly a decade.
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they → respond → decade
He was living in the U.S. without authorization, according to FIEL, which has been working with his family.
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which → live → family
FIEL hopes that the indictment of Morales would help with their plea to have him released from custody, said Cesar Espinosa, the group’s executive director.
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Espinosa → hop → custody
Fatal summer Houston shooting also under investigation
Teare said the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, has not cooperated with his investigators and accused ICE of destroying evidence “either intentionally or through gross negligence.”
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which → say → negligence
He said the ICE officer who drove the SUV that struck Parra Hernandez fled the scene before the vehicle could be impounded.
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vehicle → say → scene
In July, Teare said DHS also ignored his requests for information after an ICE officer fatally shot 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in his van.
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officer → say → van
DHS has said Salgado Araujo had “weaponized his vehicle” before the shooting and that an officer fired in self-defense.
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officer → say → defense
Other passengers in the van have disputed that account.
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passengers → dispute → account
Teare has not given a timetable for when his office’s investigation into the shooting will be complete.
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investigation → give → shooting
In September, a witness to the shooting was seen entering a courthouse area reserved for grand jury proceedings.
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witness → see → proceedings
___
Wilder reported from Austin.
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Wilder → report → Austin
Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
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that → place → issues
The Aporia
