LAPD sergeant's daughter pleads not guilty in fatal Gardena hit-run

TORRANCE, Calif.

Gardena resident Vaness Yanez, 23, was arraigned Wednesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court in Torrance.

Yanez allegedly collided with a bicyclist on June 26 on El Segundo Boulevard in Gardena, and left the scene, then reported her vehicle stolen the next day, according to the L.A. County District Attorney's Office.

Jesse Dotson, 60, died from injuries sustained in the crash. He was biking to work at the U.S. Postal Service.

If convicted, Yanez could be sentenced to six years in prison.

The case remains under investigation by Gardena Police.

Eyewitness News learned that Yanez's father, a Los Angeles Police Department sergeant, also become part of the investigation.

In a heated on-camera confrontation, LAPD Sgt. Arturo Yanez was angry after Eyewitness News filmed his daughter leaving the Gardena Police Department after being booked on felony charges in connection to the hit-and-run.

Gardena investigators say a Huntington Park police officer tipped them off after seeing the story on Eyewitness News, just after Vanessa Yanez had filed a report with that department that her car had been stolen.

Authorities found Yanez's severely damaged car with a shattered front windshield at the Gardena home she shares with her family, including her father.

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