Almost three months after General Hospital actor Johnny Wactor was shot dead at 37, police arrested several suspects connected to his murder.
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On Thursday, August 15, the LAPD announced the arrest of four individuals and the recovery of evidence as part of their ongoing investigation into the May 25 shooting death of Wactor. He was killed after stumbling upon armed car thieves who were attempting to steal the catalytic converter from his vehicle.
”Early this morning, the Los Angeles Police Department’s Central Bureau Homicide conducted search warrants relating to the John Wactor case at several locations throughout Los Angeles.” the LAPD said, per People.
This resulted in four men being arrested on murder warrants: Robert Barceleau, 18, from Huntington Park; Frank Olano, 22, from Inglewood; and Leonel Gutierrez, 18, and Sergio Estrada, 18, both from Los Angeles County.
The Arrests in Wactor’s Shooting Case Comes Days After the LAPD Released Images of the Suspects
The arrests on August 15 occurred just days after the LAPD released still images captured from video footage. They depicted the suspects and the stolen black Infiniti Q50 sedan that authorities allege the suspects were driving on the day Wactor lost his life.
In May, Grant, the actor’s brother, shared that Wactor initially believed his vehicle was being towed. Upon realizing the true situation, he instinctively shielded his co-worker by positioning her behind him.
“We’re Southern, born and raised. We would never let a female walk to their car by herself,” Grant Wactor said then. “He came across them and he thought his truck was being towed. So he said something to the guys, like, ‘Hey, are you towing?’”
Grant added, “Then once he turned around, he saw what was happening and he put his coworker behind him. And that’s when they shot him.”
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner later confirmed that Wactor’s cause of death was a gunshot wound to the chest.
Since his passing, a GoFundMe page was created to support his family with expenses. It has garnered over $144,000 in donations to date.
Johnny Wactor played Brando Corbin on General Hospital from 2020 to 2022. His other notable roles include appearances in Westworld, Criminal Minds, Siberia, and Station 19. He also appeared in Army Wives, NCIS, The OA, The Passenger, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Girl, Training Day, and more.