Hermosa Beach Police this past weekend arrested a local man who’s eluded officers and believed to be involved in the stabbing of a Hermosa Beach man inside his home in April.

Detectives arrested 33-year-old Ryker Copeland of Manhattan Beach July 6. Police sought Copeland for questioning soon after the attempted burglary that led to the stabbing of an unidentified man.

Copeland was not a suspect at the time, but police believed he had some information valuable to the case. Police now consider the drifter a suspect, along with 19-year-old Thomas Banas of Hermosa Beach who has been in police custody since April 29.

According to police, two men dressed in black clothing allegedly forced their way into a man’s home in the 1500 block of Hermosa Avenue April 17; stabbed him numerous times in the neck, arm, chest and face; and then fled the scene.

Hermosa Sgt. Paul Wolcott said the victim, whose name is not being released to protect his identity, opened his front door to the suspects at about 3 p.m. after they asked to speak with one of the victim’s family members.

The victim then tried closing his front door on the men after he realized they were not who they seemed. The suspects forced their way into the home and fought with the victim. During the fight, one of the suspects allegedly stabbed the man numerous times. The men then ran out of the victim’s house. The victim then staggered out of his home where two people eating at a nearby restaurant saw him lying on the ground. They called paramedics who transported him to a nearby hospital.

“On the scene, officers found that the victim had been stabbed multiple times including across his neck,” stated Wolcott. “Hermosa Beach paramedics treated him as he lay bleeding in the roadway where he lost consciousness due to blood loss from the knife attack. The victim was rushed to the hospital where he received emergency surgery to repair the knife wounds.”

Officers from Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach and El Segundo assisted the Hermosa Beach Police in the search for the two suspects.

Detectives collected information on the case discovering the victim’s sons had told several friends their father kept large sums of cash inside the home. Officers eventually narrowed the list of suspects to Copeland and Banas.

Banas was arrested a week after the stabbing and the court set his bail at $250,000. He is now awaiting trial in the Los Angeles County Men’s Jail in downtown Los Angeles.

Detectives interviewed numerous friends, relatives and acquaintances in the hopes of tracking down Copeland. Police discovered he traveled across the country to cities using various bus lines. He used aliases; and possibly spent time in Mississippi, Florida and Mexico. Police believe he was in the process of starting a new life under a different identity by using forged and stolen documents.

On July 6, police learned Copeland had returned to the South Bay. Under surveillance, police watched him meet his 19-year-old girlfriend in Redondo Beach. Officers then followed Copeland, driving a car with Florida license plates, to a gas station at the corner of Inglewood Avenue and Manhattan Beach Boulevard in Redondo Beach and arrested him there.

Copeland is being held without bail.

Police recently opened a separate investigation to determine who aided Copeland while traveling. Detectives believe several of Copeland’s family members and friends provided help in his disappearance including financial assistance. Some of Copeland’s friends and relatives may be prosecuted for abetting a fugitive.

The second suspect, Banas, made headlines last year when his father filed suit against the Palos Verdes Estates Police Department contending officers favored localism by ignoring the complaints of visitors who attempted to surf at the city’s beaches.

During this time, Banas was arrested for assaulting a surfer, but prosecutors dropped the charges when the victim and six other witnesses failed to cooperate.

Banas and his father, Timothy, visited Indicator, a Palos Verdes Estates surfing spot, where locals confronted them. A fight erupted and Timothy suffered a chipped tooth while Banas threw a rock at surfer Christopher Millican, who suffered a 2-inch gash to his forehead.

The incident prompted the lawsuit against the city, the Police Department and the six surfers. Banas’ father has since dropped his suit against both the city and the Police Department, but continues to pursue his complaint against the group of surfers.

Police also arrested and charged Banas for a separate incident after he allegedly assaulted an employee at Spyder Boards in Hermosa Beach Jan. 31. Banas pleaded no contest, and the court convicted and sentenced him to one year of probation.