An investigation into the fatal shooting of “General Hospital” actor Johnny Wactor in downtown Los Angeles is focusing on gang members linked to catalytic converter thefts, law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation told The Times.
After reviewing video and interviewing witnesses, Los Angeles Police Department homicide detectives focused on the distinctive facial tattoos of the shooter, one of three men who authorities say carjacked Wactor’s car on Hope Street near Pico Boulevard to steal his catalytic converter before shooting and killing him on May 25.
Investigators have released grainy images of the suspects and their stolen getaway vehicle, hoping to gather additional evidence confirming the men’s identities, according to law enforcement sources not authorized to discuss the investigation.
Wactor had just finished a late-night bar shift at nearby bar Level 8 when he and co-worker Anita Joy walked to his car and interrupted the robbers.
Wactor initially thought his car was being towed, Joy said. After realizing that wasn’t the case, he asked the men to leave, holding up his open hands to indicate he wasn’t a threat. Nevertheless, he was shot at about 3:20 a.m., she said, at point-blank range. A security guard at the bar said he found Joy with Wactor, who was mortally wounded, and called 911.
After the shooting, the suspects fled north on Hope Street in a stolen getaway car described as a black 2018 Infiniti Q50 four-door with a tan interior, police said.
According to detectives, the man who shot Wactor has a tattoo above his left eye and another on his right cheek.
On Sunday, police released grainy security footage of the three suspects and the getaway car driving down the street.
Police attempted to lift fingerprints from Wactor’s car and link the crime to possible thefts of catalytic converters nearby.
Thieves target catalytic converters because they contain precious metals, including rhodium, palladium and platinum. They can be sold for hundreds of dollars to auto parts suppliers or scrapyards, where they can be melted down and the precious metals extracted.
Catalytic converter thefts have skyrocketed in California during the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s led to new state laws prohibiting recyclers from purchasing the parts from anyone other than the vehicle’s legal owner or an authorized dealer. Penalties have been increased for buyers who don’t certify that a catalytic converter isn’t stolen.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Central Bureau homicide detectives at (213) 996-4143 or (213) 996-4173.
