SUV that rolled, killed actor was under recall
LOS ANGELES (AP) – The Latest on the death of “Star Trek” film actor Anton Yelchin (all times local):
9:45 a.m.
The SUV that killed “Star Trek” actor Anton Yelchin was being recalled because the gear shifters have confused drivers, causing the vehicles to roll away unexpectedly.
Los Angeles police say Yelchin died when his 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee rolled down his driveway early Sunday. The SUV pinned the 27-year-old against a brick mailbox pillar and a security fence.
Fiat Chrysler, which makes Jeeps, said in a statement Monday that it’s investigating and it’s premature to speculate on the cause of the crash. It offered sympathies to Yelchin’s friends and family.
Most 2015 model year Grand Cherokees were part of a global recall of 1.1 million vehicles announced by Fiat Chrysler in April.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration urged the recall amid complaints that drivers had trouble telling if they had put the automatic transmissions in park. If they weren’t in park and a driver left the vehicle, it could roll away.
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9:30 a.m.
A Los Angeles coroner’s official says the death of “Star Trek” actor Anton Yelchin has been ruled an accident.
Coroner’s spokesman Ed Winter says an autopsy performed Sunday determined the 27-year-old actor died of blunt force asphyxia after his 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee pinned him against a brick mailbox pillar and a security fence in his driveway early Sunday.
Winter says any toxicology results will take months to analyze.
Los Angeles police are investigating Yelchin’s death. Officer Jane Kim says the investigation will look into whether the actor’s vehicle was in gear or in park at the time of the accident.
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This item has been corrected to show Yelchin was pinned against a brick mailbox pillar and a security fence.