Aug
4 Arrested in Connection with the Killing of General Hospital Actor Johnny Wactor
Actor Johnny Wactor, known for his role on General Hospital, was tragically shot and killed in May at the age of 37 after confronting a group of men near his car.
The Los Angeles Police Department announced on Thursday that they had arrested four individuals in connection with the shooting. According to the police, search warrants were executed at several locations throughout Los Angeles, leading to the arrests and the recovery of critical evidence.
The suspects, identified as Robert Barceleau, Leonel Gutierrez, Sergio Estrada, and Frank Olano, are all residents of Los Angeles County, aged between 18 and 22. While Olano has been booked on a charge of being an accessory, the other three face murder charges.
Reports from the Los Angeles Times suggest that the men are affiliated with a local gang involved in a series of catalytic converter thefts. Wactor was killed in the early hours of May 25 after encountering three men allegedly attempting to steal his car’s catalytic converter. A witness reported that Wactor, who had just finished a bartending shift at the Downtown entertainment venue Level 8, initially thought the men were preparing to tow his car. When he approached them, one of the men turned and shot him. Wactor was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
In an emotional Instagram post, Wactor’s coworker, Anita Joy, who was with him at the time of the shooting, described the harrowing moment. “Johnny was between me and the man who shot him,” Joy wrote. “As I heard the shot ring into the night, he forcefully tumbled back into my arms… I shouted, ‘Hunny you ok?’ And he only responded, ‘Nope! Shot!’” She expressed her solace in being with him during his final moments and her hope for justice.
The LAPD released surveillance images of the suspects on August 5, appealing to the public for assistance in identifying them. One of the suspects had a distinctive facial tattoo, and the getaway vehicle was identified as a 2018 black Infiniti Q50 sedan with a tan interior.
The search for Wactor’s killers spanned nearly three months, with his family and friends publicly calling for justice. In June, they organized a march through Downtown L.A. to raise awareness about his unsolved case.
The theft of catalytic converters has surged in Los Angeles since the start of the pandemic, driven by the high value of precious metals like palladium and rhodium found in the car parts.
Johnny Wactor, who portrayed Brando Corbin on 164 episodes of General Hospital from 2020 to 2022, also appeared in popular series such as Westworld, The OA, Criminal Minds, and Siberia. He is survived by his mother and two brothers.
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