An immigration enforcement operation outside Houston ended with a man hospitalized after an SUV driven by a federal agent struck him as he ran through a shopping center parking lot.
The collision happened Saturday morning in Harris County as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were pursuing two men who had abandoned a vehicle and fled on foot. One escaped. The other, identified by ICE as Miguel Parra-Hernandez, was hit by the federal vehicle.
What happened in the seconds before the impact is now a central question in an investigation being led by local law enforcement.
ICE says Parra-Hernandez ran in front of its vehicle. Surveillance footage obtained by ABC13, however, appears to show the unmarked SUV turning through a parking lot and striking him as he ran.
The Collision
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were called to Clay Road near Highway 6 around 7:20 a.m. on October 10.
Preliminary information showed ICE was conducting an enforcement operation and pursuing a vehicle occupied by two men. Both got out and ran.
During the pursuit, a vehicle operated by federal immigration authorities struck one of them.
Surveillance footage obtained by ABC13 shows a white pickup stopping along Clay Road before two men run in different directions.
Parra-Hernandez runs into a shopping center parking lot. An unmarked dark SUV follows.
The SUV appears to turn left through empty parking spaces before striking him.
ICE offered a different description of that moment, telling ABC13 that “Parra-Hernandez ran in front of an ICE vehicle and was struck.”
Left On The Ground
The surveillance footage shows Parra-Hernandez remaining on the pavement after the collision.
A witness interviewed by ABC13 recalled hearing him yell, “You broke my leg!”
HCSO initially described his injuries as lower-body injuries and said he was taken to a local hospital.
His family subsequently told ABC13 that the injuries were more extensive. His niece, Natxielly Castañeda, said bones in both of his legs were broken and that he remained hospitalized while heavily sedated.
Parra-Hernandez was nevertheless able to speak, according to his family.
ICE said he remained in its custody while hospitalized.
The Intended Target
ICE said Parra-Hernandez was not the person agents originally set out to arrest.
The agency identified its target as Jose Mendoza-Cervantes, a Mexican national whom ICE says had entered the United States illegally multiple times and was subject to a final order of removal.
ICE also said Parra-Hernandez was in the country illegally.
Mendoza-Cervantes escaped during the encounter and remained unaccounted for Sunday.
No criminal history for Parra-Hernandez was identified in ICE’s account of the incident.
Local Investigation
HCSO is leading the investigation into the collision with direct assistance from the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.
Major Anthony McConnell told reporters that deputies were collecting surveillance footage from nearby businesses as they reconstructed what happened.
The sheriff’s office also said detectives want anyone with video, photographs or other information about the collision to contact HCSO at 713-221-6000.
One additional detail visible in the surveillance footage has drawn scrutiny. After Parra-Hernandez was struck, the pickup truck the men had abandoned appears to have been moved.
“I believe ICE agents moved it before we got there,” McConnell told ABC13.
HCSO has not announced any arrests arising from the collision.
The sheriff’s office said the circumstances surrounding the impact remain under investigation and that additional information will be released as it becomes available.