The Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer accused of intentionally striking a man in Houston earlier this month is expected to surrender on Monday morning, his attorney, David Lindenmuth told ABC News.
Mario Alberto Morales was indicted by a grand jury in Houston on a charge of second-degree aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.
Lindenmuth said Morales did not intend to strike Miguel Parra Hernandez when he was pursuing him and another person who were attempting to flee on foot on Oct. 10.
“It was an accident. It was nothing more than accident, but the DA to score political points right before elections decided to bring charges,” Lindenmuth said.
At a press briefing on Friday, Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare alleged that Morales’ body-camera footage shows the officer “aggressively steered his vehicle” into Parra Hernandez.
The district attorney played graphic video from the officer’s body-worn camera alongside surveillance footage of the incident during a press briefing.
The body-camera footage appears to show Morales behind the wheel, pursuing Parra Hernandez and another individual who are fleeing on foot.
“Got a runner, got a runner,” the officer can be heard saying. “On foot. Both of them.”
Seconds later, the body camera footage shows the officer appearing to turn his steering wheel toward the left. Authorities say that’s when the vehicle struck Parra Hernandez and then came to a stop.
Morales is then seen approaching Parra Hernandez, who is lying on the ground crying in agony, and moving his leg.
When asked about the video, Lindenmuth said Morales had two detainees in the back seat and was trying to avoid striking a vehicle and did not intend to hit him.
“Clearly there is contact but the contact wasn’t intentional. It wasn’t knowingly,” Lindenmuth said. “It was in reaction to him trying not to strike a vehicle.”
Lindenmuth said Morales served in the army, was a paratrooper, and is a Christian pastor who does missionary work overseas.
He said he believes the charges against his client are politically motivated.
“This is a good man, so why are you attacking his character and his background? You know why? When you don’t have evidence, you have to vilify somebody,” he said. “So he has to make him the boogeyman, a monster, because he knows he cannot prove intent because there was none.”
Speaking at the press briefing, the DA told reporters: “I’ve reviewed hundreds of cases, some very similar to this. The evidence that we have in this case is as clear as any that I’ve ever prosecuted or investigated.”
Attorney Kim Bruno, who’s representing Parra Hernandez, her client suffered fractures and nerve damage and underwent surgery following the incident.
“All he wants is accountability,” Bruno said. “He wants assurance that this will not happen to anybody else. He is so sympathetic, and all he cares about are the other people. But he is the one in the bed suffering.”
Parra Hernandez is currently detained and remains in federal custody at a rehabilitation facility.
According to Lindenmuth, Morales is a former corrections officer who enlisted in the Army.
Morales also worked as a detention and processing officer at the Port Isabel Detention Center and worked with DHS as an ICE contractor, Lindenmuth said.
He joined ICE as a federal immigration officer in August 2025, Lindenmuth said.
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