BREAKING NEWS

Academy Award winning actress Tatum O'Neal was arrested on Sunday night in New York City after cops spotted her buying drugs during an NYPD crack down on the Lower East Side.

At first Tatum claimed to be "researching for a part," but changed her story when cops caught her carrying a bag of crack, a bag of cocaine and a crack pipe.

"I've been clean for a long time!" O'Neal begged cops, "Today was the first time I was relapsing, but you guys saved me! Can you let me go?"

The police were performing a drug sweep on the Lower East Side when they busted Allen Garcia and Tatum exchanging drugs and money.

O'Neal has had a very public battle with drugs that included a tell-all memoir about getting clean.