Actor Johnny Ortiz Charged with Attempted Murder

Johnny Ortiz – who played alongside Kevin costner in “McFarland, USA” – is currently behind bars after being charged with attempted premeditated murder … TMZ has learned.

According to legal documents, obtained by TMZ, Ortiz and another man, Armando Miguel Navarro, allegedly attempted to kill a man named Brian duke “for the benefit, under the direction of and in association with a criminal street gang with the specific intention of promoting, promoting and assisting in the criminal conduct of gang members.”

Navarro is the one accused of pressing the trigger, and although it is unclear what role Ortiz played in the crime … prosecutors have found this to warrant the charge of attempted murder.

Ortiz – who starred as one of the cross-country runners in the Disney film based on a true story, “McFarland, USA” – was arrested in late May and remains behind bars. The judge set his bond at $ 1,120,000.

His family insists that he is not guilty and is trying to increase his bail through crowdfunding. They wrote on the site: “Johnny is everything for our family. Johnny does everything to help the community and the Hispanic community in particular … he is in jail and fighting for his case that he is innocent of.”

The actor has also appeared in “Ali”, “American Crime” and “El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie”.