Anton Yelchin, new Star Trek's Chekov, dies in freak accident - CNET

Anton Yelchin, the actor known for playing Chekov in the recent series of Star Trek reboot films, died in a freak accident in Los Angeles early Sunday moing.

Yelchin, 27, was killed when his car rolled backward down his steep driveway and pinned him to a brick mailbox pillar and a security fence, said Jenny Houser, a spokeswoman with the Los Angeles Police Department.

Friends found Yelchin after he failed to show up for a scheduled rehearsal, Houser said.

The Russian-bo actor played Pavel Chekov in 2009's "Star Trek," 2013's "Star Trek Into Darkness" and in "Star Trek Beyond," which is due out later this year.

His Star Trek co-star John Cho, who plays Hikaru Sulu, took to Twitter on Sunday to express his sorrow:

Update, 12:23 p.m. PT:Adds information from the LAPD; adds Cho's tweet.