Defense attorney fires back after ICE agent indicted in Houston-area crash

Harris County prosecutors here this week indicted an ICE agent on aggravated assault charges for allegedly running over an undocumented immigrant with his vehicle, but that ICE agent's defense team is firing back. Angie Rodriguez joins us with the latest. The officer involved in that crash was identified by Harris County District Attorney Sean Teer as Mario Alberto Morales. The grand jury indicted him on an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge, a conviction of which could lead him anywhere from two to 20 years in prison. He's running, on foot, both of them. Body camera video and 911 call audio released Friday will be critical evidence in the case involving ICE agent Mario Morales and Miguel Parra Hernandez. On October 10th, ICE agents were involved in a crash on Clay Road near Highway 6. The Department of Homeland Security says their agents were on a targeted enforcement operation looking for a man named Jose Mendoza Cervantes, claiming the man had four prior arrests. The attorney representing Morales said that while on the operation, two occupants of a white truck, Parra Hernandez and one other, allegedly fled from agents. What I see is an individual fleeing from a lawful detention and deciding that they don't want to be detained. I see an officer doing what every single officer who drives a patrol car does, closing the distance with an individual on foot. What went wrong is that that person fled and there was a vehicle in front of Mr. Morales's patrol vehicle. He had to take evasive maneuvers to not strike that vehicle head on. That's what happened. That is an accident. It is not a crime. That same video interpreted in different ways. We're following this guy trying to pull him over. He jumped out of the vehicle. I tried to get around him and he hit my car. The video speaks for itself, the video shows the moments leading up to the accident. The video shows the moment of the accident. So what are they watching? In fact, they should be They should own up to what they did. In the latest statement from ICE, the department claims, quote, this is nothing more than a political stunt by Houston sanctuary politicians. The DA may need some training, I'd be happy to give it to him. Because I prosecuted for 10 years as state prosecutor and I prosecuted for almost 13 years as a federal prosecutor. You know where you're supposed to go with evidence? It takes, you don't tell agents, agencies, your employees where that investigation is supposed to go. Everybody's innocent until proven guilty. For all we know, this person could walk away free. But we have to give the justice system the chance to interview everybody to have a fair trial and for the truth at the end of the day to come out. The attorney representing Morales says that his client will turn himself in on Monday. We'll keep you updated right here on Fox Local at the Harris County Criminal Courthouse. Angie Rodriguez, Fox 26 News.