Costa Mesa men plead not guilty in assault case

Two brothers accused of assaulting an elderly woman while she waited at a Costa Mesa bus stop pleaded not guilty Friday, court records show.

Paul Grigore Patrulescu, 30, and Ciprian Patrulescu, 31, both of Costa Mesa, each face one felony charge of inflicting injury on an elderly adult. They are suspected of punching an 83-year-old Irvine woman twice in the head, according to the Orange County district attorney’s office.

About 4 a.m. Aug. 18 near Harbor Boulevard and Baker Street, the Patrulescus reportedly first asked the woman if she wanted to eat dinner with them, but when she refused and then screamed, they struck her twice in the face before fleeing on foot, prosecutors said.

Both men are scheduled to appear back in court Oct. 5 for a pretrial hearing. They are both free on bail.

— Lauren Williams

Twitter: @lawilliams30