Actor Johnny Wactor, who starred in General Hospital, was shot and killed over the weekend during an alleged car theft.
The tragic shooting reportedly unraveled when Wactor saw three men attempting to steal a catalytic converter from his car.
Wactor’s mother, Scarlett Wactor, said that her 37-year-old son confronted the suspects with a colleague, who shot him and fled the scene.
“Wactor is best known for playing Brando Corbin in 164 episodes of long-running soap opera “General Hospital” between 2020 and 2022, according to his IMDb profile. He also appeared in the supernatural drama show “Siberia” and an episode of “Criminal Minds,”” the New York Post reported.
During the summer of 2023, American Faith reported that the city of Los Angeles launched a task force to try and help combat the increase in theft, including smash-and-grab robberies.
“The Organized Retail Crimes Task Force” was announced by Democrat Mayor Karen Bass, following two different smash-and-grab robberies in the area.
Nearly 50 people in hoodies and masks stole over $100,000 in merchandise from a Nordstrom after attacking security guards with bear mace at the time.
Before that incident, a different group of 30 to 40 thieves robbed a Yves Saint Laurent store in broad daylight, stealing an estimated $300,000 worth of merchandise.
“What we’ve seen over just the past week in the City of Los Angeles and in surrounding regions is unacceptable, which is why today we are here announcing action,” Bass said.
“These are not victimless crimes – especially in the case where Angelenos were attacked – through force or fear – as they did their jobs or ran errands,” she continued, adding that the task force would “aggressively investigate” these incidents and hold the criminals “fully accountable.”