Four people have been arrested in connection with the death of Johnny Wactor.
The General Hospital actor, best known for his role as Brando Corbin in the soap, died in May aged 37 when he was shot and killed in LA after coming across three armed thieves attempting to steal a catalytic converter from his car.
In a press release, LAPD said: ‘Bureau Homicide conducted search warrants relating to the John Wactor case at several locations throughout Los Angeles.
‘These search warrants resulted in four people being arrested and evidence recovered.’
The search and arrests were carried out on Thursday morning, with the suspects all between the aged of 18 and 22.
Robert Barceleau, Leonel Gutierrez and Sergio Estrada were ‘booked on arrest warrant for murder’, while Frank Olano was arrested for ‘accessory’.
The Los Angeles Times reports that they could have ties to the Florencia 13 gang, with group being implicated in a number of catalytic converter thefts in the area.
At the time of his death, Wactor’s brother Grant revealed the actor was working as a bartender, and had been walking with a female co-worker to their cars at the end of a shift, at around 3:25am.
The late actor is said to have noticed his car was ‘jacked up’ and initially thought it was being towed, before realizing the truth.
Grant shared that his brother ‘did not confront the thieves’, but instead placed himself in front of his colleague to protect her.
‘He did not try to stop them. He was just trying to diffuse the situation by stepping back,’ he claimed to the People, suggesting that the men ‘weren’t expecting anybody to walk up on them, so they got scared’.
The men fled the scene after the shooting, while Wactor was rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
As well as his role in General Hospital, he appeared in Westworld, Criminal Minds, NCIS and The OA.
However, he is best known for playing Brando Corbin, having appeared in almost 200 episodes of the US show between 2020 and 2022.
His co-star Sofia Mattson led tributes to Wactor after his death, describing him as ‘so genuine’ and ‘humble’.
She wrote on Instagram: ‘Johnny was the absolute best. So genuine. So caring. Incredibly hard working and humble.
‘With a huge heart that spread so much kindness and joy. He always made sure everyone around him felt seen, heard and loved. I admire the man he was so much and I’m a better person for having known him.’
If you’ve got a soap or TV story, video or pictures get in touch by emailing us [email protected] – we’d love to hear from you.
Join the community by leaving a comment below and stay updated on all things soaps on our homepage.
MORE : How the Friends cast paid tribute to Matthew Perry following his tragic death
MORE : Devastating update on ‘mind-blowing’ Netflix thriller ahead of final season
MORE : Hollywood Squares host Peter Marshall dies aged 98
The Soaps Newsletter
Sign up for daily Soaps updates and our weekly Editor’s special for juicy exclusives and interviews. Privacy Policy
Share this with