A federal immigration officer in Houston faces a felony aggravated-assault charge after a grand jury accused him of striking a fleeing man with an unmarked SUV during an Oct. 10 pursuit. Mario Alberto Morales, an officer with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, plans to surrender at a courthouse Monday, his attorney said.
The indictment was announced Friday by Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare and Sheriff Ed Gonzalez. The charge is aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and the case is at the indictment stage. Morales has not been convicted.
The injured man, a 48-year-old construction worker, suffered a broken leg and was recovering at a rehabilitation facility while in federal custody, Teare said. The man had fled a traffic stop in a parking lot after Morales began pulling on a mask, according to an incident report from the Harris County Sheriff's Office reviewed by The Associated Press.
What investigators have described
Surveillance video released in connection with the case shows Morales' vehicle crossing a median before striking the man as he ran away, according to the account presented by prosecutors. Teare also played footage from Morales' body camera at the Friday news conference.
In the body-camera video, Morales makes sharp turns with the steering wheel before stopping and leaving the vehicle. He then turns toward the man, who is on the ground. After another ICE officer arrives, Morales is heard saying, “I was coming in, and I hit him with the car.”
The sheriff's report says Morales told deputies that he did not brake before the collision but did not intentionally strike the man. Morales' attorney, David Lindenmuth, has described the incident differently from prosecutors.
“Clearly just an accident.” — David Lindenmuth, Morales' attorney
Lindenmuth previously said local officials had “invented a crime out of thin air.” Morales is expected to turn himself in Monday, according to his attorney. The criminal case will proceed through the Harris County court system, where prosecutors must prove the charge beyond a reasonable doubt.
- Charge: felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
- Indictment: issued by a Harris County grand jury on Friday.
- Next announced step: Morales plans to surrender at a courthouse Monday.
