'Star Trek' actor Anton Yelchin crushed to death in Studio City home

LOS ANGELES -- Anton Yelchin, a charismatic and rising actor best known for playing Chekov in the new "Star Trek" films, has died at the age of 27. He was killed in a freak accident at his Studio City home early Sunday morning, his publicist, Jennifer Allen, confirmed.

Yelchin's friends reported to his house in the 3800 block of Berry Drive at about 1 a.m. Sunday when he failed to show up for a rehearsal meeting. Authorities from the LAPD Valley Traffic Division said he was pinned between a car and a mailbox pillar in his driveway.

The actor's car was in neutral and running when it appeared to have gone down the bottom of the steep driveway, killing Yelchin, authorities said.

Police said no foul play was suspected, and it was unknown whether drugs or alcohol were involved.

Yelchin started small with roles in indie films and various television shows, before breaking out in films like the crime thriller "Alpha Dog" and the teenage comedy "Charlie Bartlett." His biggest role to date has been in the rebooted "Star Trek" films - the third of which, "Star Trek Beyond" comes out in July.

Yelchin, an only child, was born in Russia. His parents were professional figure skaters who moved the family to the United States when Yelchin was a baby. Yelchin's family requests privacy at this time.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.