Los Angeles police detectives are collecting surveillance video and searching for fingerprints in an effort to find the gang of catalytic converter thieves who killed “General Hospital’s” Johnny Walker in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday morning.
Walkert was killed around 3:25 a.m. as he left the bar where he worked. Authorities say he encountered three people trying to steal car parts near Peak Avenue and Hope Street. One of the thieves shot Walker, 37, before running away.
Law enforcement sources said police were trying to get fingerprints from Walkett’s car and were looking for video in the area. They are also checking to see if there are any links to other catalytic converter thefts in the area. Los Angeles Police Department investigators say they have seen an increase in violence when encountering these types of thieves.
On Tuesday, Los Angeles Police Department officials released more information about the crime.
“When Walker arrived at his vehicle, he encountered three individuals who were using jacks to lift Walker’s vehicle and were stealing the catalytic converters,” authorities said in a news release. “Without provocation, Next, the victim was shot by one of the suspects. The three suspects involved were wearing dark clothes and driving a dark car.
The catalytic converters that control exhaust emissions are typically found in a vehicle’s chassis and contain precious metals such as rhodium, palladium and platinum. Thieves can make hundreds of dollars by selling them to auto parts suppliers or scrap yards, where they can be melted down and extracted to extract the valuable metal.
Catalytic converter thefts have surged in California during the COVID-19 pandemic, which some attribute to heightened economic hardship. The trend has prompted new state laws that make it illegal for recyclers to purchase parts from anyone other than a vehicle’s legal owner or licensed dealer and increase penalties for buyers who fail to prove that their catalytic converters haven’t been stolen. the intensity of punishment.
Police say it’s difficult to hold thieves accountable because they can’t always prove that the person in possession of the stolen car parts was involved in the theft.
In 2022, approximately 8,000 catalytic converter thefts were reported across Los Angeles. Data for 2023 was not immediately available.
From 2020 to 2022, Walker played Brando Corbin on “General Hospital.”
Walkerto has recently been exploring screenwriting opportunities while working as a bartender.
