A McAllen municipal judge upgraded the charge Wednesday to a second-degree felony against 27-year-old Adrian Parada Jr. The suspect had faced a third-degree felony charge of intoxication assault before the victim, Abraham Sevilla of La Joya, died Tuesday.
The McAllen Monitor reported Thursday that a federal internal affairs unit is investigating the incident.
Parada rear-ended Sevilla at an intersection Sunday morning. The collision pushed 21-year-old Sevilla's car into a McAllen police unit. The officer sustained minor injuries.
Parada was released on bond from the Hidalgo County Jail on Wednesday. It was not immediately known if he had retained an attorney.
