‘McFarland USA’ Actor Johnny Ortiz Charged With Attempted Murder

McFarland USA and El Camino: a Breaking Bad Movie actor Johnny Ortiz has been arrested on attempted murder charges. 

Ortiz was allegedly involved in an attempted murder of a man named Brian Duke. The crime is being considered a gang-related incident. Court documents state the incident 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.”

It is unclear what Ortiz’s exact role was, but another man named Armando Miguel Navarro is accused of allegedly attempting to carry out the murder and was the one “pulling the trigger.”

Ortiz is pleading not guilty and his first hearing is set for Monday. He is being held on $1 million bail. 

Ortiz’s family organized a GoFundMe page in order to raise money to pay off his bail. The site has currently collected $780 out of its $1 million goal. It reads, “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. We lost our beloved mother with cancer and losing another family member breaks our heart. Please help us pay for Johnny Bail Bond to get him out. Anything helps.”

Ortiz has also appeared in films such as I Am Nero and Peppermint alongside Jennifer Garner. He got his start in Ali, which starred Will Smith. In April, Ortiz tweeted about his role in El Camino: “What an Honor to be part of some history. Breaking Bad Movie Release date Oct. 11, 2019,” before he asked fans what they thought, “Comments what y’all think of the movie? Y’all caught me slipping in there?”