Actor Johnny Ortiz is in jail, arrested on charges of attempted murder. Ortiz faces accusations of taking part in a premeditated gangland hit.
Ortiz was arrested in May, and a judge set his bail at $1,120,000. He is expected to attend a preliminary hearing today (July 20).
TMZ reports they obtained court documents that say Ortiz was arrested with another man for trying to kill an individual named Brian Duke.
Johnny Ortiz charged with attempted gangland murder
These documents also state that the alleged attempted murder was “for the benefit of, at the direction of, and in association with a criminal street gang, with the specific intent to promote, further and assist in criminal conduct by gang members.”
The second man arrested is Armando Miguel Navarro, who is accused of pulling the trigger on Duke. As yet, it is unclear of Ortiz’s role in the attempted murder.
The actor has pleaded not guilty and is fighting the charges.
His family has claimed he is innocent and has set up a GoFundMe page to help him with the legal costs. At the time of writing, the page had raised $780 out of a target of $100,000.
They wrote: “Johnny is everything to our family. Johnny does everything to help the community and the Hispanic community, especially. Johnny has contributed to many non-profit organizations and community organizations.”
“He is in jail fighting for his case that he is innocent on. We want our beloved family member back with us. He’s a brother, son, and friend to our family,” Ortiz’s family continued. “We lost our beloved mother with cancer and losing another family member breaks our heart.”
Johnny Ortiz has worked alongside Aaron Paul and Kevin Costner
Ortiz most recently starred as a busboy in 2019’s El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie. At the time, he described his feelings on the role “an honor to be part of some history.”
Monsters & Critics recently listed the Breaking Bad series, of which El Camino is a spin-off, as one of the best shows on Netflix.
As well as his role in El Camino, Ortiz was previously best-known for his appearance across from Kevin Costner in 2015’s McFarland, USA.
The Disney movie, loosely based on a true story, featured Ortiz as a cross country runner.