Four people were arrested, three on murder charges, in connection to the May fatal shooting of actor Johnny Wactor. Photo courtesy of General Hospital/X
Aug. 15 (UPI) — Three 18-year-olds and a 22-year-old accomplice have been arrested in connection with the slaying of General Hospital actor Johnny Wactor in Los Angeles earlier this year, the LAPD announced Thursday.
The three teenagers were arrested on murder charges while the older man was taken into custody on a charge of being an accessory to a crime, police said in a statement.
Those arrested on murder warrants were identified as Robert Barceleau of Huntington Park, Calif., and Leonel Gutierrez and Sergio Estrada, each of Los Angeles County.
Frank Olano, 22, of Inglewood, Calif., was jailed on the accessory warrant.
The LAPD said Wactor, 37, was shot in the area of Pico Boulevard and Hope Street in downtown Los Angeles at about 3:25 a.m. on May 25.
Witnesses said the slaying happened after Wactor had finished a shift working as a bartender in the area and discovered three suspects had raised his parked vehicle with a floor jack and were in the process of stealing its catalytic converter.
The actor was “shot without provocation” after which the suspects fled in a stolen 2018 black Infiniti Q50. Police sources told The Los Angeles Times they suspect the involvement of the Florencia 13 street gang in the crime.
Wactor has nearly 50 film and television credits to his name on IMDB but is probably best known for his performance as Brandon Corbin on General Hospital from 2020-2022.