The incident took place after a tiff in the lineup at the Hook in Santa Cruz. Photo: @sabra557x//Instagram
The man arrested on suspicion of stabbing a surfer after a lineup argument in Santa Cruz, California has pleaded not guilty to the charges. The incident occurred April 27 at the Hook in the Pleasure Point neighborhood.
The suspect was identified as 59-year-old Shannon Stanger. He first pleaded not guilty to the charges of assault with a deadly weapon on April 30, 2025. On November 11, the judge determined that there was sufficient evidence for the case to proceed. At the arraignment on December 4, Stanger and his attorney, Bryan Joseph Hackett, again pleaded not guilty.
The Superior Court of California, County of Santa Cruz, did not respond to a request for when the trial would be held. The next legal proceeding is scheduled for March 18. Stanger is currently out on bail.
According to interviews conducted by the Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Department, the incident involved two males approaching a third male on land regarding surf etiquette in the lineup. After a verbal confrontation, Stanger, one of the two males who approached the third male, allegedly struck the victim with a kubotan – a small, rod-like self-defense keychain weapon.
The victim did not immediately go to the hospital, but later sought medical attention.
It’s not Stanger’s first run-in with the law. In 1993, he was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping his ex-girlfriend. According to a report in the Santa Cruz Sentinel, Stanger and three friends went to her home and forced her into a car, apparently so Stanger could reconcile with her. She eventually jumped out of the vehicle and fled to a nearby stable, where she borrowed a phone to call for help.
