Actor and film producer DJ Qualls, 33, says he was beaten by a Vancouver police officer in downtown Vancouver overnight.

The 130-pound "Road Trip" star began tweeting about the alleged incident at 5 a.m. Saturday, claiming the officer "tackled me, busted my face and handcuffed me."

Qualls claims he had just witnessed a brawl in the street, and tried to point out one of the participants to police. The officer he approached allegedly told him to either leave or be arrested.

"I demand an apology," Qualls tweeted to the Vancouver Police Department's twitter feed, adding that he wants to be fully reimbursed the $800 he claims to have paid for an ambulance and to receive stitches.

"I was handcuffed and bleeding," he wrote. Hours later, he described his injuries to a follower: "My face is messed up. I bled out A LOT. Im hurting so badly, I cant sleep."

Const. Lindsey Houghton said police are aware of Qualls' public complaint, and that the department has reached out to him and asked him to contact the Professional Standards Section to launch a formal investigation.

By Saturday afternoon, Houghton said Qualls had not filed a complaint but said police "have proactively initiated an investigation."

"Out of respect for the process and integrity of the investigation we can't speak to details of the complaint," Houghton wrote in an email statement to CTV News.

"We wouldn't want to potentially taint the investigation, any witnesses, statements."

Qualls has appeared in several movies and television shows, including Hustle & Flow, All About Steve, Lost and The Big Bang Theory.