HOUSTON (TNND) — A man was hospitalized after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent allegedly struck him with a vehicle during an enforcement operation in Houston on Saturday, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office said the incident happened around 7:20 a.m. as agents were “conducting an enforcement operation and pursuing a vehicle occupied by two men who exited a vehicle and fled on foot.”
The injured man was identified as Miguel Parra-Hernandez, who was being treated for lower-body injuries. Maj. Anthony McConnell of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office’s Special Investigation Bureau said Parra-Hernandez appeared to have suffered a broken leg.
Mexican national Jose Mendoza-Cervantes, the other man who fled, remained unaccounted for as of Sunday, deputies said in a news release.
An ICE spokesperson said agents were attempting to arrest Mendoza-Cervantes, who allegedly has a criminal record and a final order of removal from a judge.
“In an attempt to capture the passenger, the ICE agent was trying to box him in the backside of the building at the corner and struck the passenger,” McConnell said.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo urged ICE, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice and all other agencies involved to release evidence, including body camera video and audio recordings, for a “full and complete investigation by our local authorities.”
The incident comes days after ICE agents in New York City shot a man inside his car while his 5-year-old son was in the back seat. Homeland Security officials said agents believed they were in danger when they opened fire.
The man, Oscar Belgal, 28, is being held at a detention facility because of his alleged criminal history and a previous attempt to flee, according to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin.