ICE agent placed on leave after Houston vehicle collision, NBC reports
In short
An ICE agent whose vehicle struck and injured Miguel Parra Hernandez in Houston was placed on administrative leave, NBC News reported, citing a senior DHS official. Harris County prosecutors are investigating and could present the case to a grand jury as soon as next week.
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An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent whose vehicle struck and injured a man in Houston was placed on administrative leave while the incident is investigated, NBC News reported on October 15. The outlet cited a senior Department of Homeland Security official. Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said his office could present its case to a grand jury as soon as the following week. [ 10 ]
Miguel Parra Hernandez, 48, underwent surgery for a broken leg after being struck on Saturday. His lawyer said he remained in ICE custody in hospital and needed ankle surgery. Surveillance footage showed an SUV pursuing a man who was running away; the Seattle Times' Associated Press account said another vehicle obscured the moment of impact. [ 3 , 8 ]
Teare has said the collision appeared intentional and that aggravated assault with a deadly weapon was a possible charge. ICE rejected allegations of deliberate harm as false and said Parra Hernandez had run in front of its vehicle. The agency said he had been traveling with the target of an enforcement operation before both men fled on foot. [ 5 , 8 ]
NBC News reported that Teare had interviewed a witness who was handcuffed in the back of the ICE vehicle when it struck Parra Hernandez. The interview took place at the Port Isabel Processing Center in south Texas. Teare said the witness provided significant relevant details but declined to discuss what was said. He had also interviewed Parra Hernandez. [ 10 ]
A senior DHS official told NBC that several ICE officers at the scene wore body cameras and that the agency was reviewing the recordings in an internal investigation. No decision had been made on sharing the footage with the public or the Harris County district attorney's office, the official said. [ 10 ]
Why it matters
The prosecutor has said the collision appeared intentional and could support criminal charges, while ICE denies that its officer deliberately struck the man. The case is subject to both a local investigation and an internal ICE review.
Key facts
- NBC News reported that the agent had been placed on administrative leave, citing a senior DHS official. [ 10 ]
- Parra Hernandez suffered a broken leg and underwent surgery after the Saturday collision. [ 3 , 5 , 8 ]
- District Attorney Sean Teare said the collision appeared intentional; ICE disputed that account. [ 3 , 5 , 6 , 8 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Whether criminal charges will be brought. The prosecutor said the case could go to a grand jury; no charging decision was reported.
- Whether body-camera footage will be released. A senior DHS official told NBC that no decision had been made about sharing it with the public or local prosecutors.