Jay Leno slams soft-on-crime LA after General Hospital star was shot dead by catalytic converter thieves
- Jay Leno called the perpetrators of the light sentences ‘scandalous’
- The comedian told TMZ it’s a slap on the wrist, which is why the thieves are so brazen
Legendary comedian and avid car collector Jay Leno has gone soft on crime Los Angeles after General Hospital star Johnny Wactor was shot dead by a gang of catalytic converter thieves last week.
Wactor, 37, was leaving a part-time job at a rooftop bar on May 25 with a coworker around 3:25 a.m. in downtown LA when he was confronted by three men who tried to steal his catalytic converter from his car.
The thugs fatally shot the soap star before fleeing in a separate vehicle. The masked suspects are still on the run and have yet to be identified or described.
Leno told TMZ the light penalty for stealing catalytic converters – a misdemeanor and a fine of up to $1,000 – was “outrageous,” calling it a “slap on the wrist” if caught, and the reason why the thieves are so brazen.
Jay Leno told TMZ that the light fine perpetrators are stealing converters – a misdemeanor charge and a fine of up to $1,000, ‘outrageous’
Johnny Wactor, 37, a veteran of the TV soap opera General Hospital, was leaving a part-time job at a rooftop bar with a co-worker on May 25 when he confronted three men, who he initially thought were towing his car, and was shot dead .
Catalytic converters are valuable to thieves because they contain precious metals, including: rhodium, palladium and platinum.
Thieves can make between $25 and $300 for a standard catalytic converter, and up to $1,400 on hybrid vehicles, experts say. Carfax.
The soap starHis car was a Toyota Prius, one of the most targeted cars for catalytic converter theft. NBC News reported.
In California, stealing converters is considered a crime if the value of the converter, or any stolen property, is less than $950. That’s why certain cars are targeted.
A van seized by the police that is filled with a catalytic converter
A stock photo of a close-up of a catalytic converter in a car’s exhaust system
It is illegal to drive without a catalytic converter, and while it may improve performance somewhat, it can cause engine problems and is generally not advisable, according to AutoZone.
Leno also explained that car owners who remove their own inverter could face a huge fine.
According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, California is the state with the highest number of catalytic converter thefts. Texel comes second.
Nearly 15,000 catalytic converters were stolen in the state last year, according to NBC.
Ford F-150, Ford Explore, Honda Accord, Toyota Prius, Honda CR-V, Chevrolet Equinox, Toyota Tacoma, Kia Soul, Chevrolet Traverse and Chevrolet Cruze are the most targeted vehicles for inverter theft, according to Carfax.
