4 arrested in connection with fatal shooting of ‘General Hospital’ actor Johnny Wactor: LAPD

Wactor, 37, was killed when he approached his car late at night after work. Four people have been arrested in connection with the murder of “General Hospital” actor Johnny Wactor, the Los Angeles Police Department said Thursday. Three suspects, all 18, were booked on an arrest warrant for murder, police said: Robert Barceleau, of Huntington Park; Leonel Gutierrez, of Los Angeles County; and Sergio Estrada, of Los Angeles County. A fourth suspect — Frank Olano, 22, of Inglewood — was booked on an arrest warrant for accessory, the LAPD said. The four were arrested after officers executed search warrants at several locations throughout Los Angeles earlier Thursday, police said. Following the arrests, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement that “we must ensure that those who are responsible for this brazen and heinous act are held fully accountable.” Wactor was shot “without provocation” around 3:25 a.m. on May 25, after he ended his shift at a bar and walked to his car, according to police. He was confronted by three people who had his car “raised up with a floor jack and were in the process of stealing the catalytic converter,” police said in a statement. In a press conference Tuesday, Wactor’s mother, Scarlett Wactor, urged Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and District Attorney George Gascón to strengthen the criminal justice system. And this is where change needs to start,” Scarlett Wactor said. “I’m beginning to sound like a broken record, but grief is my constant companion,” she said. Scarlett Wactor, the mother of late actor Johnny Wactor, speaks during a news conference outside Los Angeles City Hall in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, asking citizens to help find the suspects that murdered the former “General Hospital” actor. Damian Dovarganes/AP Earlier in August, police released new images of the three suspects accused of killing Wactor and the car they fled in. The suspect accused of shooting Wactor has a tattoo above the left eye and on the right cheek, according to police. The three individuals fled the scene in a black Infiniti Q50 Sedan, which police said was stolen. In an emotional press conference in June, Wactor’s family and friends pushed for arrests to be made in the case. “I’m here because one of the best men — if not the best man — I’ve ever known, was tragically and brutally taken from this earth,” Wactor’s friend, Micah Parker, said at the news conference. “He was taken from his mother, his brothers, his extended family, his friends and his fans.”‘ Just before he was shot, Wactor had been with a female co-worker, and he immediately stepped in front of her to try to protect her, according to his family and friends. “They had a mask on and they pulled out a gun,” Wactor’s friend, Colin Flynn, told ABC News. Actor Johnny Wactor is seen in Old City in Philadelphia, PA, Oct. 29, 2023. Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images In a message to the culprits, Parker vowed, “We are going to find you.” “You do not get to terrorize our streets, stealing and killing with impunity anymore,” Parker said. “To the LAPD, who are out there risking their lives every day, who are here with us today, I first want to say thank you,” Parker said. “But I also implore you to please — not rest, do not relent, until these three killers are brought to justice.” “The entire General Hospital family is heartbroken to hear of Johnny Wactor’s untimely passing,” the statement read. “Johnny Wactor was such a kind soul, a talented actor and an inspiration to those around him. He pursued his dreams and achieved them, all the while remaining a good human being caring for others,” he said. – This Summarize was created by Neural News AI (V1). Source: https://abcnews.go.com/US/police-make-multiple-arrests-tied-fatal-shooting-general/story?id=112867555