NEW YORK (TheBlaze/AP) -- Internal Affairs officers on Saturday were looking into allegations purportedly made by actress Amanda Bynes that New York Police Department officers sexually assaulted her when she was arrested for heaving a marijuana bong out the window of her 36th-floor Manhattan apartment Thursday night.
In an image made from video, actress Amanda Bynes, center, wearing sweats and a blonde wig, is escorted after a Manhattan criminal court appearance on Friday May 24, 2013 in New York. Bynes was arrested Thursday evening and charged with reckless endangerment after police say she heaved a marijuana bong out of out of her Manhattan apartment building. (Credit: AP)
The 27-year-old former child star first alleged during her arraignment on Friday that police illegally entered her apartment after being called to her midtown building. But in a Twitter message believed to be from the troubled actress posted Saturday, Bynes alleged that her arresting officer also sexually assaulted her.
"As it would with any such allegation, regardless of its credibility, IAB is investigating it," said the NYPD's chief spokesman, Paul Browne, referring to the internal affairs bureau.
The Twitter handle used to make the sexual assault allegations Saturday does not appear to be verified by the social network- but Bynes' friend, former Hollywood publicist Jonathan Jaxson, said Saturday the tweet was made from Bynes' account. Twitter did not immediately return a request for comment.
USA Today reports that Bynes' alleged tweet read:
"Don't believe the reports about me being arrested. It's all lies. I was sexually harassed by one of the cops the night before last which is who then arrested me. He lied and said I threw a bong out the window when I opened the window for fresh air. Hilarious. He slapped my vagina. Sexual harassment. Big deal. I then called the cops on him. He handcuffed me, which I resisted, quite unlike any of the reports stated. Then I was sent to a mental hospital. Offensive. I kept asking for my lawyer but they wouldn't let me. The cops were creepy. The cop sexually harassed me, they found no pot on me or bong outside my window. That's why the judge let me go. Don't believe any reports."
In court on Friday, the former "Hairspray" star made no mention of the sexual assault allegations, though she did complain of illegal entry to her apartment. She's been charged with reckless endangerment.
A law enforcement official who spoke to the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because of an ongoing investigation said the building manager was with officers at Bynes' apartment when they arrived Thursday night. The official said officers were kept waiting approximately five minutes before she opened the door to them. The same official said the building manager told internal affair investigators nothing untoward happened.
Bynes was released by Chief New York County Judge Neil Ross on her own recognizance because, Ross said, he did not believe her to be a flight risk. But in releasing her, Ross also issued a stern warning to Bynes, telling her not to get rearrested or miss any court dates. She's due back in court on July 9.
Attempts to reach Bynes' arraignment lawyer were unsuccessful Saturday evening.
Bynes rose to fame starring in Nickelodeon's "All That" and has also starred in several films, including 2010's "Easy A." But she has been in the news more recently because of several scrapes with the law and bizarre public behavior.
Bynes was arrested Thursday night after building officials called police to complain she was rolling a joint and smoking pot in the lobby. The officers went to her apartment where they saw heavy smoke and a bong sitting on the kitchen counter. They said she tossed the bong out the window in front of them, prosecutors said Friday.
Here's a clip of Bynes in court Friday, the day after her arrest, via CBS News:
