Amanda Bynes pleads not guilty to hit-and-run

Amanda Bynes insists she’s an innocent woman. Nearly four months after pleading not guilty to DUI, she has entered the same plea for two misdemeanor counts of hit-and-run (and for those keeping count, she has also been charged with two counts of driving on a suspended license, but has yet to make a plea in that case).

Although a Los Angeles judge warned the actress that she should appear in court, the 26-year-old was a no-show because she has been in New York City the past week. Instead, her attorney Richard Hutton entered her not guilty plea on her behalf. He also refused to comment to the media on his client.

Bynes may have switched coasts, but the Big Apple is proving to be just as much trouble for her. On Wednesday night, she reportedly spent 30 minutes locked in a bathroom at the Little Cupcake Bakeshop in SoHo. According to Celebuzz, Bynes arrived at 9 p.m. and spent about 90 minutes sitting at table wearing headphones and sunglasses before heading to the restroom. A while later, a bakery patron, who happened to be a NYC firefighter, grew worried and knocked on the door, but there was no response.

“The workers at the bakery even turned down the music to see if they could hear any noise coming from the bathroom,” says an eyewitness. After 15 minutes, the store was shut down and the fireman called police and even asked if he had their permission to break down the door, fearing that the actress was in there unconscious. That’s when Bynes – who spent two hours locked in a boutique dressing room in West Hollywood earlier this month – emerged from the bathroom, telling everyone in a calm tone, “Excuse me, I was doing my makeup,” says the eyewitness.

Bynes’ two hit-and-run charges were handed down on September 5 and stem from incidents that occurred on April 10 and August 4. In the first one, just six days after her DUI, Bynes slammed her BMW into another car on the 101 Freeway in the San Fernando Valley. When the actress did not stop, the victim gave chase, but Bynes blew through a red light and got away. According to TMZ, the victim did get the license plate number and after cops determined it was Bynes’ rented vehicle, they included her in a lineup for the victim … who pointed out the former child star as the one who had hit her.

In the second hit-and-run, her car struck a Toyota Corolla, also in the San Fernando Valley. This time though, Bynes – described by the other driver as looking “like a hot mess” – did initially stop her vehicle. According to the victim, the actress tried to push the Corolla’s bumper back into place, which didn’t work, and then got back in her BMW and drove off after refusing to provide her insurance information.

Bynes is due back in court on October 19. If convicted of the two misdemeanors, she could face up to a year in jail.

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