Prosecutor investigates man struck by ICE vehicle; case could lead to aggravated assault charges
· Telemundo McAllen (KTLM)
HOUSTON — The Harris County, Texas, prosecutor is investigating whether an ICE agent driving a vehicle that struck a man on foot could face aggravated assault charges with a deadly weapon. Prosecutor Sean Teare stated on Tuesday to NBC News that his team of experienced investigators reviewed surveillance footage of the moment the ICE vehicle hit Miguel Parra Hernández and believes the collision was not accidental. Teare's office announced late Monday that it had launched an independent investigation into the incident involving 48-year-old Parra. The collision on Saturday caused injuries to Parra's leg and hip, and severely damaged his ankle when the agent's vehicle struck him during a pursuit, according to César Espinosa, co-founder and executive director of FIEL, a Houston-based immigrant civil rights organization, who spoke on behalf of Parra during a press conference on Monday. Parra underwent surgery on his leg but requires additional procedures to reconstruct the limb and other parts of his body, Espinosa noted. He must wait for the swelling to subside before doctors can perform more surgeries, he added. Espinosa stated that Parra, who had exited a vehicle and was walking, was struck 'violently and brutally.' A senior official from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) informed NBC News on Tuesday that several ICE agents present at the scene were wearing body cameras. The official noted that ICE is currently reviewing the footage as part of an internal investigation. NBC News reached out to DHS for a response to the district attorney's statements. DHS did not respond to a request for comments on Monday, following statements from Parra's attorney and advocates. However, in a statement issued over the weekend, ICE reported that it attempted to intercept a vehicle and that the occupants fled on foot. Agents tried to stop the fleeing men, and according to the ICE spokesperson, 'Miguel Parra Hernández ran in front of an ICE vehicle and was struck.' ICE stated that Parra was not the target of the initial intervention. Espinosa recounted that Parra told him he fled because it was unclear that there were agents in the vehicles; he claimed they were unmarked, did not have sirens, and had heavily tinted windows. A video obtained by KPRC, NBC's Houston affiliate, shows a white truck driving against traffic on a busy road. The footage shows a vehicle crossing the median and heading toward where Parra was running. It then appears that the vehicle — which has no official markings — swerves sharply to the left, heading toward Parra's path and in front of a stopped truck in the shopping center. The parked truck drives away, and according to the video, a man can be seen on the pavement behind the ICE vehicle. Juan Proaño, executive director of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), a civil rights organization, stated that ICE often accuses detainees of using their vehicles as weapons, but believes this case demonstrates the opposite. In previous incidents between ICE and individuals they attempted to detain in public — including cases resulting in death, such as that of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston — the agency has alleged that suspects used their vehicles as weapons. Parra was in a Houston-area hospital on Monday morning when his attorney and Espinosa visited him, according to the latter. However, they only had 10 or 15 minutes before ICE agents entered, began recording the conversation, and forced them to leave, explained Kim Bruno, Parra's attorney. 'To make matters worse, Mr. Miguel is in the custody of the same ICE agents who struck him,' Espinosa stated. 'It is heartbreaking and infuriating that Miguel has to face the people who brutally attacked him every day, 24/7.' Parra has lived in the United States for 34 years — arriving at age 14 — and has no criminal record, Bruno told NBC News. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) indicated that he was in the country without legal authorization. Bruno stated that he had never had issues with immigration authorities. Both he and the man who was with him in the vehicle work in stucco, she noted. Neither Parra nor the other man in the vehicle were the target of ICE during the traffic stop on Saturday, Bruno and Espinosa asserted. ICE identified the person they were seeking as José Mendoza Cervantes; according to the agency, this individual has no legal status in the country, had been expelled twice, and had illegally entered the United States five times. They also reported that Mendoza Cervantes had been arrested multiple times for driving under the influence and once for illegal possession of firearms, and that he had an active deportation order. Bruno and Espinosa maintained that neither Parra nor the man who was with him in the vehicle — whom he picked up to go to work — knew Mendoza Cervantes. The Harris County District Attorney's Civil Rights Division sent investigators to the intersection where Parra was struck, reported Damali Keith, a spokesperson for the district attorney's office. Parra's incident occurred less than two weeks after the Trump administration issued guidelines establishing stricter rules for vehicle stops. These guidelines stipulate that only agents who have completed specific training should conduct vehicle stops. The memorandum also states that vehicles used for these interventions must have lights and sirens, and that all agents present at the scene must have their body cameras on and activated.
AI summary · Source: Telemundo McAllen (KTLM) →
