LAPD Sergeant's Daughter Arrested in Fatal Gardena Hit-and-Run Crash

A bicyclist was struck and killed in the June 26 hit-and-run cash in Gardena

The daughter of a veteran Los Angeles Police Department sergeant was arrested Wednesday in a deadly hit-and-run collision last month involving a bicyclist in Gardena after her vehicle was found less than one mile from the crime scene.

Vanessa Marie Yanez, 22, turned herself into police, admitting that she had been drinking before the crash, Lt. Steve Prendergast said.

Yanez was booked on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, perjury, filing a false police report and felony hit and run in connection with the June 26 crash that killed a postal worker who was riding his bicycle on El Segundo Boulevard near Vermont Avenue.

The victim, identified as 60-year-old Jesse Dotson (pictured below), was pronounced dead at a hospital three days after the crash.

"He was a happy-go-lucky guy," said La Von Stonum, Dotson's friend and roommate. "He always got along with everybody."

Gardena police confirmed Yanez is the daughter of LAPD Sgt. Arturo Yanez.


After collecting witnesses' descriptions of the vehicle involved in the crash, Gardena police located Yanez's vehicle June 29. The vehicle was found at Yanez's home, less than a mile from the site of the crash.

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Investigators told NBC4 she had reported the car stolen hours after the collision.

Yanez has been released from custody. Police said they need more time to gather their case to present it to the Distric Attorney.

Call 310-217-6189 to provide information about the case.

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