(TheIndependentStar.com) – Four gang thugs have been arrested and charged in connection with the murder of “General Hospital” star Johnny Wactor, who was fatally shot in May when he interrupted thieves attempting to steal his car’s catalytic converter.
Los Angeles Police Department announced this week that three of the men, all between 18 and 22 years old, face murder charges, while a fourth has been booked as an accessory.
According to a police press release, 37-year-old Wactor was shot in the chest around 3:25 a.m. outside Level 8, a downtown LA nightclub where he worked.
He confronted the thieves as they were trying to jack up his car to steal the catalytic converter. Police said one of the men fired at him “without provocation.”
Shortly after he was rushed to a hospital but later died from his injuries. The county medical examiner ruled his death a homicide.
The suspects, Robert Barceleau of Huntington Park, Leonel Gutierrez, and Sergio Estrada, both from Los Angeles County, all aged 18, were charged with murder after police executed search warrants on Thursday, leading to their arrests.
Police also said a fourth suspect, 22-year-old Frank Olano from Inglewood, was charged with accessory.
Authorities were investigating the Florencia 13 gang, which is linked to catalytic converter thefts in the area.
Moreover, Wactor’s murder drew nationwide attention and even led to a rally by friends and family outside LA City Hall this week, more than two months after the shooting, as they demanded justice.
“Grief is my constant companion,” his mother, Scarlett Wactor, told reporters. “I can’t wish him happy birthday on Aug. 31 — he would have been 38. I can’t ask if he’s coming home for Christmas. I can’t ask how his day went.”
She made a heartfelt plea: “I’m asking that anybody that knows anything please come forward.”
Earlier this month, police released surveillance images of the three suspects who fled the scene in a stolen vehicle, seeking the public’s help.
Originally from South Carolina, Wactor was best known for his role as Brandon Corbin on “General Hospital” from 2020 to 2022. He also appeared in TV shows like “Station 19,” “NCIS,” and “Westworld.”
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