Multiple People Arrested in ‘General Hospital’ Actor Johnny Wactor’s Murder

Four people have been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of General Hospital star Johnny Wactor. The Los Angeles Police Department announced Thursday that three suspects – Robert Barceleau, Leonel Gutierrez, and Sergio Estrada, all 18 and residents of Los Angeles– were arrested on suspicion of murder. A fourth suspect, 22-year-old Frank Olano, was booked on an arrest warrant for “accessory after the fact.”

According to the LAPD, the four arrests were made early Thursday morning after “the Los Angeles Police Department’s Central Bureau Homicide conducted search warrants relating to the John Wactor case at several locations throughout Los Angeles.” The search warrants “resulted in four people being arrested and evidence recovered.” Barceleau, Gutierrez, and Olano’s bail is set at $2 million, according to booking records reviewed by USA TODAY. Records for Estrada were not available. Their arrests come just 11 days after the LAPD released still images taken from video footage of the suspects and the stolen black Infiniti Q50 sedan they were driving.

Wactor was fatally shot on May 25 after he and a female co-worker were walking to their cars following their bar shift in downtown Los Angeles. According to police, the pair found three men who had raised Wactor’s vehicle with a floor jack and were stealing its catalytic converter. His co-worker, Anita Joy, said they initially thought the vehicle was being towed. She said they 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.” Wactor was shot without provocation.

“He did not confront them. He did not try to stop them. He was just trying to diffuse the situation by stepping back,” his brother, his brother, Grant Wactor, previously told PEOPLE. Grant added that he believes the suspects “weren’t expecting anybody to walk up on them, so they got scared. And there’s nothing more dangerous than a coward with a gun in his hand.”

The suspects had already fled in a dark sedan by the time police arrived at the scene. Wactor a native of Charleston, South Carolina, was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The actor was best known for his portrayal of Brando Corbin on General Hospital. He starred on the long-running soap for 164 episodes from 2020 to 2022. Following his passing, the show paid tribute to him with a title card in Wactor’s memory at the end of the June 11 episode. Wactor’s other credits include Station 19, Westworld, The OA, NCIS, Criminal Minds, Training Day, Animal Kingdom, and more.

Wactor’s agent, David Shaul, remembered him as a “spectacular human being,” adding in a statement to Variety, “our time with Johnny was a privilege we would wish on everyone. He would literally give you the shirt off his back. After over a decade together, he will leave a hole in our hearts forever.”

In a statement following the Aug. 15 arrests, Mayor Karen Bass thanked the 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.” Bass added, “now, we must ensure that those who are responsible for this brazen and heinous act are held fully accountable.”