Black man's injuries after alleged sodomy with baton by French police officers were accident, investigators say

A group of French police officers accused of beating and anally raping a black man with a baton did so accidentally, investigators said Thursday.

A 22-year-old man identified as Theo said four police officers sodomized him during an identity check on Feb 2.

One officer was charged with aggravated rape and the others with aggravated assault, French Interior Minister Bruno Le Roux said in a statement.

Theo reportedly suffered head trauma and had to undergo surgery for “severe anal injuries,” France’s The Local reported.

An earlier police investigation concluded that while Theo’s incident was serious, there was no indication it was rape, and that his injuries were accidental.

“I would like to ask the residents of my neighborhood to calm down. I ask them to stop the hostilities because I love my city, and I want to find it the way I left it,” Theo told French news station BFMTV.

French President Francois Hollande visited the alleged victim at a suburban hospital Tuesday.

He later posted a photo to Twitter with a caption saying, "Theo reacted with dignity and responsibility” and that “justice has been seized.”

Video cited by French media showed the officers roughing up the young man against a wall, but police claim Theo’s pants “slipped down on their own.”

The incident sparked protests Sunday across Paris and has continued through early Thursday morning, resulting in more than a dozen arrests.

The unrest also reflects the current tensions between police and residents in several communities where the unemployment rate is high among youth.