4 people arrested in connection with the killing of “General Hospital” star Johnny Wactor

Police arrested four people in connection with the death of General Hospital Actor Johnny Wactor.

The Los Angeles Police Department issued a press release on Thursday stating that early this morning, “the Los Angeles Police Department's Central Bureau Homicide Unit served search warrants at multiple locations throughout Los Angeles in connection with the John Wactor case. These search warrants resulted in the arrest of four individuals and the seizure of evidence.”

Police have released the identities of Wactor's suspected killers, all between the ages of 18 and 22. They are Robert Barceleau, Leonel Gutierrez, Sergio Estrada and Frank Olano, all residents of Los Angeles County. While Olano has an arrest warrant for accessory after the fact, the other three have arrest warrants for murder.

The Los Angeles Times reported that the men are believed to be members of a local gang linked to a series of catalytic converter thefts in the area. Wactor was killed in the early hours of May 25 when he encountered three men who allegedly tried to steal his car's catalytic converter, a witness told police.

Wactor had just finished a bartending shift at the downtown entertainment venue Level 8 with co-worker Anita Joy. Joy had previously stated that Wactor thought the men were preparing his car for towing, but when he approached and spoke to them, one of them turned and shot him. The former soap star was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead at the age of 37.

In a long Instagram post days after his death, Joy described Wactor's shooting in detail. “Johnny was standing between me and the man who shot him – when I heard the gunshot in the night, he fell back into my arms with full force and I grabbed him,” she wrote. “I called out, 'Honey, are you OK?' And he just replied, 'Nope! Shot!'”

“My only peace is that I was with him and this did not happen to him alone – my only other peace will be seeing these horrible men brought to justice,” Joy's post concluded.

On August 5, the LAPD released surveillance images of the suspects and asked the public for help in identifying them. One of the suspects had a distinctive facial tattoo and the getaway car was identified as a black 2018 Infiniti Q50 sedan with a tan interior.

The manhunt for Wactor's killers lasted nearly three months, during which time Wactor's family members publicly demanded that his killers be brought to justice. In June, family and friends organized a march through downtown LA to raise awareness of his unsolved case.

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Since the pandemic began, the number of catalytic converter thefts in the greater Los Angeles area has increased. Thieves target the auto part because it contains valuable metals such as palladium and rhodium, which can be melted down and sold for a high price.

Wactor played veteran mechanic and former assassin Brando Corbin in 164 episodes of General Hospital between 2020-2022. He also appeared in series such as Westworld, The OA, Criminal MindsAnd SiberiaWactor leaves behind his mother and two brothers.