Jay Leno Rails Against Light Treatment for Catalytic Converter Thieves After Murder of 'General Hospital' Star Johnny Wactor Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images

TV icon Jay Leno is railing against the light punishment that California authorities mete out to catalytic converter thieves in his home state as thefts skyrocket and in the wake of the murder of actor Johnny Wactor.

The former Tonight Show host, who is also world renowned for his massive antique car collection, told TMZ that it is outrageous that thieves caught stealing catalytic converters are only charged with a misdemeanor and hit with a small, $1,000 fine.

One such theft turned deadly last month when General Hospital actor Johnny Wactor confronted thieves who he caught stealing the catalytic from his car was shot down by the thieves as they fled the scene of the crime. Wactor, 37, died in minutes at the scene.

Leno said that the soft-on-crime consequences of catalytic theft is one of the reasons the criminals are so blatant.

It is also a huge inconvenience for car owners hit by these thieves. For one thing, it is illegal to remove a converter and a missing device can result in a big fine, so car owners are obligated to replace them when they are stolen. But the repairs can cost them thousands of dollars. Worse, it may take many months to get the job done because there have been so many thefts that repair places have long waiting lists, not to mention a backorder for the parts.

Thieves steal the converters because the contain several expensive metals inside, metals that the thieves pull out and redeem for cash.

Leno says that the crooks only get maybe $20 apiece for the stolen converters, and that is why they steal so many of them.

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