Johnny Wactor murder: Four suspects ID'ed in death of 'General Hospital' actor
LOS ANGELES - Several people were arrested Thursday in connection with the death of actor Johnny Wactor in downtown Los Angeles.
Those detained include suspected members of the Florencia 13 gang, the Los Angeles Police Department told TMZ. The arrests come after authorities served search warrants early Thursday morning and linked fingerprints to the crime scene.
Wactor, 37, was shot around 3:30 a.m. May 25 while walking with a co-worker toward his parked car near Hope Street and Pico Boulevard after finishing his bartending shift at the nearby Level 8 bar/restaurant.
Police said they encountered a crew of people trying to steal the catalytic converter from his car. The suspects had Wactor's vehicle raised up with a floor jack and were in the process of stealing the catalytic converter, police said, adding that Wactor was shot by one of the individuals without provocation.
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On August 15, LAPD announced the following four people were arrested in connection to Wactor's death:
- Robert Barceleau, 18, booked on arrest warrant for murder
- Sergio Estrada, 18, booked on arrest warrant for murder
- Leonel Gutierrez, 18, booked on arrest warrant for murder
- Frank Olano, 22,booked on arrest warrant for accessory
His mother, Scarlett Wactor, clarified that he didn't confront or physically stop the thieves, like previous reports indicated.
"They definitely have a pretty good photo that they're not releasing, but that they've seen this and so this tells me that they're going in the right direction, that somebody knows something. And we need help from the community to get them arrested and put away and convicted," Scarlett Wactor told FOX 11.
She remembers her son as a good, compassionate person who helped everyone and loved life.
"He had a very big zest for life. And to me, I believe he still had a very big future. And they stole it from him and stole him from us," she added.
Last week, the Los Angeles Police Department released surveillance photos of the suspects believed to have killed Wactor, along with images of an allegedly stolen vehicle the suspects are believed to have escaped in.
Prior to the news of the four arrests, LAPD had previously said the suspects drove away from the scene in a stolen 2018 black, four-door Infiniti Q50 with tan-colored interior. The suspects, all wearing dark clothing, drove away from the scene northbound on Hope Street. One of the suspects had a tattoo above the left eye and on the right cheek, police said.