Mario Morales is accused of striking Miguel Parra-Hernandez with his vehicle while on patrol as an ICE agent. A grand jury indicted Morales Friday morning. His lawyer argues the indictment is “political prosecution.”

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Mario Alberto Morales, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer [indicted by a grand jury](https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/politics/immigration/2026/10/30/565692/grand-jury-indicts-ice-officer-responsible-for-running-houston-immigrant-over/) last week, surrendered himself in a Harris County District Court Monday. In Harris County 488th District Court, Morales entered in a gray suit and purple tie alongside his legal team David Lindenmuth and newly added co-counsel former Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg. In one-word answers, Morales acknowledged he understood the charge against him. Lawyers for the district attorney’s office requested a $75,000 bond due to the "violent nature" of the incident and some "admissions of prior drug use" they uncovered in their investigation. Morales' lawyer David Lindenmuth countered and requested a $25,000 bond, arguing his client posed no flight risk and that there is no on-going threat to the community. Judge Matthew Peneguy, who presided over the hearing, ordered a $30,000 bond and said Morales is to have no contact with any of the victims or witnesses in the case. Morales was indicted for a second-degree felony offense of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The agent is accused of striking Miguel Parra-Hernandez with his vehicle, breaking his leg and ankle, on Oct. 10. An ICE spokesperson claimed Parra-Hernandez ran in front of the vehicle while fleeing from the scene of an attempted traffic stop. ... Parra-Hernandez's family, his lawyer and immigrant rights advocacy groups have disputed ICE's account. Surveillance video and footage from Morales' body camera, released by the Harris County District Attorney's office, show Morales pursuing Parra-Hernandez as he ran away from the agent's unmarked vehicle. Morales' car is seen jumping the median to make a left turn into a parking lot, then hitting Parra-Hernandez from behind and coming to a stop several feet after running him over. The indictment was announced Friday by Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare and Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez. Gonzalez said investigators developed serious concerns over Morales' actions, including how he pursued Parra-Hernandez and the manner in which Parra-Hernandez was struck. ... The indictment is a rare but not unprecedented instance of state agencies prosecuting a federal agent. A federal grand jury in Minnesota indicted Texas-based ICE agent Christian Castro for making false claims to the Federal Bureau of Investigations over the shooting of a Venezuelan man in January. A legal battle ensued between the states over the extradition of the agent. Castro was ultimately arrested when he returned to Minnesota for a court appearance. If Morales is convicted, the assault charge carries up to 20 years in prison.