Four suspects have been arrested in connection with the shooting death of “General Hospital” actor Johnny Wactor, which occurred May 25 as he tried to stop thieves from stealing his catalytic converter.
Law enforcement officials told the Los Angeles Times that they had focused their investigation on members of the Florencia 13 gang, as they were known for stealing catalytic converters in the area. Wactor was shot and killed when he approached a group of individuals near his car in the early morning hours.
Robert Barceleau, 18, of Huntington Park; Leonel Gutierrez, 18, of Los Angeles County; Sergio Estrada, 18, of Los Angeles County; and Frank Olano, 22, of Inglewood, were all arrested.
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Barceleau, Gutierrez, and Estrada were taken into custody on suspicion of murder, while Olano is believed to have been an accessory, per the local ABC affiliate. The three main suspects were held Thursday in lieu of a $2 million bond.
Wactor, 37, was leaving his job as a bartender with a friend over Memorial Day weekend when the killing occurred. A witness, Anita Joy, said they first thought the vehicle was being towed when they came upon the individuals near Wactor’s car. But then they realized the suspects were trying to steal the catalytic converter. When Wactor tried to intervene, he was shot and later died from his injuries, as The Daily Wire previously reported.
The late actor’s brother, friends, and family made a plea to officials to help stop the violence during an organized march on City Hall in June.
“The message is pretty obvious…they want safe streets and justice,” Wactor’s brother Grant said at the time. “I don’t live here, so I didn’t realize how bad the situation already was for any of this to even happen … apparently this has been a problem that has needed to be fixed for a while, so someone has to fix it.”
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Los Angeles Democratic Mayor Karen Bass commented on the arrests made on Thursday. “I want to thank LAPD for their partnership and hard work on this case and for their continued efforts to keep Angelenos safe and to bring justice to victims of violence,” she said. “Now, we must ensure that those who are responsible for this brazen and heinous act are held fully accountable.”
