'General Hospital' Star Killed By Catalytic Converter Thieves

LOS ANGELES, CA — Actor Johnny Wactor, for years a regular on "General Hospital," was shot and killed when he stumbled upon catalytic converter thieves near downtown Los Angeles early Saturday morning, according to police and multiple reports.

Wactor, 37, appeared on nearly 200 episodes of "General Hospital" from 2020-22 as Brando Corbin. He also appeared in “Westworld,” "NCIS," “Criminal Minds” and “Station 19.”

The shooting happened about 3:25 a.m. Saturday when the owner of a vehicle encountered three people trying to steal its catalytic converter near Pico Boulevard and Hope Street, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. One of the thieves shot the man, and the trio fled in a waiting car, according to police.

The victim was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, according to police.

Wactor's mother Scarlett Wactor confirmed to TMZ that her son was killed when he and a coworker at a downtown rooftop bar saw the three men doing something to his car. She said her son didn't try to fight or stop the thieves, but they shot him anyway before fleeing.

She told ABC7 her son initially thought his car was being towed, but when he approached the person, the masked suspect looked up and opened fire.

Police did not immediately release a suspect or vehicle description. They also did not publicly identify Wactor as the victim.

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Catalytic converter theft is a major problem in Los Angeles. It's led to multiple shootings and police chases, and it's responsible for more than 20 percent of vehicle thefts in Los Angeles, according to the LAPD.

Thieves often target parked cars in the middle of the night. Catalytic converters are relatively easy to steal because thieves can unbolt or cut them out in minutes. Thieves can steal several catalytic converters in a single night and sell them to metal recyclers, who prize them because they contain platinum, palladium and rhodium. Catalytic converters, the part of a vehicle's exhaust system that reduces pollution, can fetch thieves about $150 apiece.

The devices have also been stolen from city-owned vehicles, including 39 over Christmas weekend, costing taxpayers about $74,000 in 2021.

Anyone with information regarding the shooting was urged to call the LAPD's Central Station at 213-486-6606. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or visit lacrimestoppers.org.

City News Service contributed to this report.