“General Hospital” actor Johnny Wactor was fatally shot early Saturday when he encountered three men attempting to steal the catalytic converter from his car, according to a law enforcement source familiar with the case.
The incident occurred around 3:25 a.m. near Pico Boulevard and Hope Street, said Officer Jader Chaves, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department. The victim, who was shot by one of the thieves, was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
While the officer did not identify the victim, a source confirmed to The Times that it was Wactor, known for his role as Brando Corbin on “General Hospital” from 2020 to 2022. He also appeared in “Westworld,” “Criminal Minds,” and “Station 19.”
Wactor had been working as a bartender in downtown L.A. on Saturday night and was walking a co-worker to her car after their shift, his brother Grant Wactor told The Times. He noticed a group of men around his car and confronted them, thinking it was being towed, and was then shot.
The thieves were targeting Wactor’s catalytic converter, which contains valuable metals like rhodium, palladium, and platinum. These parts can fetch hundreds of dollars when sold to auto parts suppliers or scrapyards.
“My mother is tough, but she’s devastated,” said Grant Wactor. “We need to get him back to Charleston [S.C.]. It’s just a tragic case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Wactor, 37, left “General Hospital” in 2022 when his character was written out. He had expressed his appreciation for the show’s loyal fan base to Soap Opera Digest.
“It was all new to me, and it was a blessing,” he said. “It made work enjoyable, knowing people cared about the storylines.”
Grant Wactor shared that his brother had a passion for acting from a young age, participating in school plays in Summerville, S.C. After graduating from the College of Charleston in 2009, Johnny drove to Los Angeles to pursue his acting career.
“He was incredibly hardworking and competitive,” Grant said. “But also one of the most charismatic people I knew. His interactions were always genuine.”
Recently, Johnny Wactor has been exploring screenwriting while working as a bartender.
“He lived life on his own terms,” Grant said. “He did what he loved, right up until the end.”
Former colleagues expressed their grief on social media. “Johnny Wactor was a beautiful soul,” said former “General Hospital” actor Parry Shen on X. “We were all cheated of many years with him.”
Jon Lindstrom, a long-time cast member on the ABC soap, posted: “I am sick to my stomach at this news.” He praised Wactor as “kind, unassuming, and humble.”
“General Hospital” issued a statement saying the cast and crew were “heartbroken by Johnny Wactor’s untimely passing. He was a pleasure to work with every day. Our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones.”
Sofia Mattsson, his co-star, added: “So genuine. So caring. Incredibly hard-working and humble. He had a huge heart and spread kindness and joy. He always made everyone feel seen and loved. I admire him greatly and am better for having known him.”
Thefts of catalytic converters surged in California during the COVID-19 pandemic, attributed to increased economic distress. New state laws now prohibit recyclers from buying the part from anyone other than the legal owner or a licensed dealer and impose stricter penalties for buyers who fail to verify the part’s legitimacy.
