Actor mistook masked thieves who stole his car for tow truck drivers and intervened before they opened fire

• Wactor was leaving his job at a rooftop bar when he saw three men near his car
• The three men tried to steal Wactor’s catalyst
• When Wactor confronted the men, one of them shot him

Johnny Wactor, a longtime veteran of the TV soap General Hospital, was shot and killed in Los Angeles on Saturday as he confronted thieves who broke into his car, TMZ reports. He was 37 years old.

Wactor’s mother, Scarlett, said her son was leaving work at a rooftop bar with a colleague early Saturday morning when he noticed three men apparently trying to steal his catalytic converter.

Johnny, Scarlett said, thought his vehicle was being towed and tried to approach them to get more details.

One of the suspects was wearing a mask. When he heard Wactor, he looked up and then shot him, she told ABC7.

Scarlett said her son did not try to fight back or stop them from robbing Wactor, but according to the LA Times, they shot him anyway and fled in a vehicle.

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Younger brother Grant confirmed that Johnny was shot in the chest when he encountered the suspects trying to steal the catalytic converter from his truck.

He said his brother and co-worker had to park about two blocks from the restaurant, so they walked to their cars after their shift.

Grant said they were raised as “southern gentlemen,” so he wasn’t surprised that his older brother accompanied his colleague to her car.

“We were born and raised in the South and would never let a woman walk to her car alone.”

Police said paramedics arrived at the scene around 3 a.m. local time and took him to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The suspects have yet to be identified or described, however there is one incident matching the description of the murder involving the theft of a catalytic converter.

According to a KTLA report, police officers arrived in the area of ​​Pico Boulevard and Hope Street around 3:25 a.m.

Police say the victim, believed to be Wactor, saw the three men “taking items away” and tried to intervene when they shot him.

The suspects are still at large.

The Los Angeles Police Department says it is not releasing the names of the victims.

DailyMail.com has reached out to the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office for comment.

Wactor appeared in over 160 episodes of General Hospital from 2020 to 2022 as the character Brando Corbin.

The actor was also a regular in the 11-episode NBC drama series “Siberia” in 2013.

He has appeared in several episodes of television series such as “The OA,” “The Passenger,” “Westworld,” and “Hollywood Girl.”

His first break on television came with a three-part guest role on the Lifetime series Army Wives.

He also specializes in production; his IMDb page lists three upcoming projects. Wactor has also written a short film called “Broken Riders.”

Wactor’s most recent work was in the horror anthology Dead Talk Tales: Volume I, which was released earlier this year.

In his private life, he was often seen doing extreme sports such as climbing on his Instagram page.

He leaves behind his mother Scarlett and his brothers Lance and Grant.

Wactor’s mother described him as a loving young man whose death leaves a hole in his family’s hearts, according to TMZ.

Colleagues also commented on the loss of the young actor.

Perry Shen, a co-star from “General Hospital,” posted a fond memory of Wactor on X.

“Johnny Wactor was a beautiful soul. So talented. As you can see in the promo clip, he was always up for anything. Hilarious. Fit as the plague, but he also loved ice cream and ate all the junk I ate,” Shen wrote.

“We were all cheated out of many years together with him.”

“As the tears begin to dry, this news literally makes me sick,” wrote co-star Jon Lindstrom.

“Johnny was one of those rare young men in this business who was kind, modest, humble and always thought about other people. A talented young man who just wanted to share his talent with the world.”

“I wish I had enough love to fill the void his loved ones must be feeling right now, but I know that’s impossible. Johnny will be missed on that plane. For a long time. RIP”