Arrests have been made in the murder of “General Hospital” star Johnny Wactor.
The Los Angeles Police Department announced Thursday night that the Homicide Central Bureau served search warrants related to the Wactor case at multiple locations in Los Angeles, resulting in the arrests of four people and the recovery of evidence.
Three people — Robert Barcelau, 18; Leonel Gutierrez, 18; and Sergio Estrada, 18 — were arrested on warrants for murder. A fourth person, Frank Olano, 22, was arrested on a warrant for accessory after the fact.
Wactor's mother, Scarlett Wactor, also spoke to Fox News Digital about the arrests and said she would be given more information on Monday morning.
Arrests have been made in the shooting death of “General Hospital” star Johnny Wactor. (Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images)
JOHNNY WACTOR'S MOTHER SAYS HER SON'S DEATH 'DOESN'T HAVE TO BE IN VAIN'
“It's good news, I'm excited,” she said, adding that she also hopes the culprits will be sentenced to a severe prison term. “I know some people don't even go that far, but I'm very happy,” she added.
Wactor was shot and killed in the early morning hours of May 25 in downtown Los Angeles as he was leaving his waiter job with a co-worker.
In a press release obtained by Fox News Digital, the Los Angeles Police Department said Wactor was “confronted by three individuals” after noticing his car had been “jacked up and they were in the process of stealing the catalytic converter.” Wactor was then shot and killed by one of the three.
“Officers with the Los Angeles Police Department, Area Central, responded to a radio call of an assault with a deadly weapon in the 1200 block of Hope Street,” the statement said. “Upon arrival, officers discovered the victim, identified as John William Wactor, 37, suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. Officers began rendering aid to the victim and requested emergency medical services response.”
Wactor was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
The 37-year-old actor was shot and killed in downtown Los Angeles in the early hours of May 25 by suspects who were allegedly trying to steal the catalytic converter from his car. (Scott Kirkland/ABC via Getty Images)
'GENERAL HOSPITAL' ACTOR JOHNNY WACTOR'S OFFICIAL CAUSE OF DEATH REVEALED, ACCORDING TO THE CORONER
Scarlett told Fox News Digital that Wactor and a co-worker were asked to stay late at the rooftop bar where they worked and were returning to their cars when he was killed.
“They were walking to their car and when they got there, Johnny's car, which was parked in front of the co-worker's car, looked like it was leaning to one side and from what I understood, he said, 'Hey man, are you towing my car?' … And the person looked up and he had a mask on, and so I guess he knew they weren't doing that, and so he got in front of the co-worker and then backed up and put his hands up or both, and the person shot him,” Scarlett said.
He noted that the workplace did not have designated parking for employees.
“In my thought process… if I had gotten there two minutes earlier or two minutes later, I would be alive,” Scarlett said.
Scarlett Wactor, the actor's mother, told Fox News Digital that her son and a co-worker were leaving the bar where they worked when they encountered the suspects. (Craig Sjodin/ABC via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
“And the funny thing is that he wasn't trying to stop them from taking him away. They could have left or taken the car, but he probably would have given them the car,” he added. “They were cowards.”[ly] “I hope they get caught and there's justice for Johnny. That's all I can hope and pray for. I'll see him again. But here on Earth, it's going to be a long, long road without him for me and his brothers.”
Wactor's co-worker, Anita Joy, spoke out in the days following his death and shared the heartbreaking details of the incident.
“In my thought process… if I had arrived two minutes earlier or two minutes later, I would be alive.”
“I've needed to take some time to collect myself and gather my thoughts. I was with Johnny in his final moments and I'm here to be his voice after such unimaginable events,” she wrote in an Instagram post.
“He was senselessly killed by a coward who reacted without caring about the beautiful life he was leading,” she wrote in her post. “I'm angry, I'm sad and I feel everything at once, but most of all, I'm here for justice for Johnny.”
“Johnny was between me and the man who shot him,” she continued. “It was too close, the wound was too severe for him to survive, but my God, he fought to stay,” she wrote. “I am completely heartbroken and so angry. My only peace is that I was with him and this didn't happen to him alone; my only peace will be seeing these horrible men brought to justice.”
Days after Wactor was shot and killed, his co-worker, Anita Joy, who held him in his final moments, shared heartbreaking new details about the series of events that led to his death. (Getty/Anita Joy Instagram)
THE UNSOLVED MURDER OF 'GENERAL HOSPITAL' STAR JOHNNY WACTOR IS THE LATEST TRAGEDY IN THE SOAP OPERA'S DARK HISTORY
Friends and family gathered in Los Angeles on June 12 for a press conference and march seeking answers for Wactor, using the hashtag #JusticeforJohnny.
His brother, Grant Wactor, told the crowd: “We want something done. My family and I don't live here. But Johnny's friends… Johnny has roots here. Johnny still has roots here and he'll continue to have roots here. So we want to make it a safer town for them… We want it sooner rather than later. We appreciate all the work that's being done to find and apprehend all of these people, but we hope that any resources that can be used… [are] still available [used].”
On August 4, the Los Angeles Police Department posted a community alert with photographs of the suspects believed to be responsible for Wactor's death.
Police described the stolen vehicle as a black, 2018 Infiniti Q50, four-door, with a tan interior.
Los Angeles Police Department detectives have released images of suspects believed to be linked to the May 25 murder of “General Hospital” star Johnny Wactor. (Los Angeles Police)
LIKE WHAT YOU'RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
Following the release of photos of the suspects, family and friends of Scarlett and Wactor asked citizens for help in the search at an event held on Tuesday.
“I'm asking anyone who knows anything to come forward,” Scarlett said, according to The Associated Press.
“My only peace is that I was with him and that this did not happen to him alone. My only other peace will be seeing these horrible men brought to justice.”
“It will help me and your brothers in our healing to know that they have been captured and convicted.”
“Pain is my constant companion. I can't wish him a happy birthday on August 31. He would have been 38. I can't ask him if he's coming home for Christmas. I can't ask him how his day was,” she said.
Johnny Wactor's mother, Scarlett, is asking the public for help in finding her son's killers. (Damian Dovarganes)
THE FAMILY OF ACTOR JOHNNY WACTOR, KILLED AT 'GENERAL HOSPITAL', MAKES A PUBLIC APPEAL TO FIND HIS KILLERS
Wactor portrayed Brando Corbin on “General Hospital” for 164 episodes from 2020 to 2022. His other credits include “Animal Kingdom,” “Criminal Minds” and “Westworld.”
A funeral service for Wactor was held in June at Summerville Baptist Church in Summerville, South Carolina, his home state. The service was conducted by Wactor's family, including his mother, Scarlett, and brothers, Grant and Lance.
Scarlett previously told Fox News Digital that her son's death “doesn't have to be in vain.”
“That whole town needs to change, of course I can't even vote there or do anything, but you just have to keep pushing for that to happen and keep the pressure up as long as it takes for that place to change,” he said from his home in South Carolina.
Wactor's funeral was held in his home state of South Carolina in June. (Michael Tullberg/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“I mean, it's sad, but I'd like it to be safe for other people living there. No one else has to die, although I know I can't stop everything. I'd like to see some change because of this.”
