Black Man Allegedly Raped With Police Baton By Officer In Paris Suburb, Protest Turns Violent

A protest in a Paris suburb against the alleged rape of a black man by a police officer turned violent Saturday after crowd set vehicles ablaze and threw projectiles at police, according to reports. The man had alleged that the officer sodomized him with a truncheon during his arrest Feb. 2 in Aulnay-sous-Bois. The police have, in their defense, called the penetration accidental.

The demonstration took place in Bobigny, located northeast of Paris, and about 2,000 protesters demanded justice for the man, who has been identified by the French media as 22-year-old Theo. Police said public buildings were targeted, several vehicles were set on fire, a bus station was damaged and windows were smashed. Two media vehicles were also reportedly attacked.

"The police had to intervene to rescue a young child in a burning vehicle," the police said, adding that there were no casualties during the protests, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).

On Sunday, the officer was charged with aggravated rape and three others were charged with aggravated assault stemming.

According to authorities, Theo had no prior criminal record. The alleged rape resulted in anal injuries that required major emergency surgery.

"I didn’t try to run away. I told the officers: ‘You’ve torn my bag’, to which they replied that they didn’t give a damn," Theo said in a recorded conversation with his attorney. “They all tried to grab me. I asked them why they were doing this, but they just continued to throw insults at me... He told me to put my hands behind my back. They put handcuffs on me and then they told me to sit down. They sprayed tear gas in my face and then I had a pain in my buttocks. My trousers were lowered. I was in serious pain.”

However, police said that the penetration was accidental and Theo’s pants “slipped down on their own.” The police also said that there was insufficient evidence to prove intended rape.

French Prime Minister Francois Hollande visited Theo in the hospital Tuesday and assured that justice will be served.

Meanwhile, Theo urged people to maintain calm.

"I call to calm my city because I love it very much," Theo said Thursday. "Violence is not the way to support me. Justice will do its job."