Tatum O’Neal has been arrested after buying crack cocaine near her home in Manhattan, police said today.

Sources told The Post the 44-year-old actress - who became the youngest-ever to snag an Oscar, at age 10, for her role in “Paper Moon” - was arrested at 7:30 p.m. by detectives from Manhattan South Narcotics on Clinton Street between East Broadway and Grand Street.

“When the police approached, she asked them, ‘You know who I am, right?’ ” one source said.

“Then she said, ‘I’m researching a part - I’m doing this for a part as a junkie.’ “

The source said detectives found a pipe on O’Neal, daughter of actor Ryan O’Neal. The pipe and screen were clean.

“Then she said she’d been clean for two years, and that she’d just came out today,” the source said.

“Can’t we just forget about this?” sources said she begged the detectives.

She just wanted to get high .I sure Tatum will go on Oprah’s show spill that phoney soul and tell Brittney and all the other burn outs no to do drugs, just save them for me. Give it a rest, morons!