Four suspects have been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of actor Johnny Wactor, who was killed in May while interrupting a catalytic converter theft, NBC News reports, citing the police.
In a statement, the Los Angeles Police Department identified three suspects arrested on suspicion of murder — Robert Barceleau, 18; Leonel Guiterrez, 18; and Sergio Estrada, 18.
Frank Olano, 22, was accused of being an accessory to the crime, the department said.
They were arrested and evidence was discovered after the department’s central homicide bureau carried out search warrants at locations throughout Los Angeles, the statement said.
Jail records showed that bail was set at $2 million. It wasn’t clear whether they have lawyers to speak on their behalf.
More details about the arrests and the evidence weren’t immediately available.
In a statement, Mayor Karen Bass thanked the police department and said authorities must ensure that those responsible for “this brazen and heinous act are held fully accountable.”
Wactor, 37, was fatally shot overnight on May 25, after he finished a bartending shift in downtown Los Angeles and found three men who had raised his car with a floor jack and were stealing its catalytic converter, police have said.
One of the attackers shot Wactor without provocation, the police department said.
A friend and co-worker who was with him at the time said that when they initially approached the car, it appeared as though it was possibly being towed.
“We were no threat and Jonny kept his cool as he always did, simply stating that it was his car and for them to leave. Hands open to his sides in peace,” the friend, Anita Joy, wrote on Instagram days after the killing.
“As I heard the shot ring into the night, he forcefully tumbled back into my arms and as I grabbed for him, I shouted ‘Hunny you ok?!’ And he only responded ‘Nope! Shot!’” she wrote.
The suspects fled in a dark sedan, the police department said. Wactor was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Wactor, a native of Charleston, South Carolina, played Brando Corbin in 163 episodes of “General Hospital.” His manager recalled him as a “kind soul, a talented actor and an inspiration to those around him.”
Catalytic converter thefts, driven by the valuable metals they contain, reached a peak in 2022, prompting California Governor Gavin Newsom to sign a law aimed at combating the crime. Thieves often target these automotive parts for their precious metals, such as platinum, palladium, and rhodium.
