Police: Brothers stabbed in possible gang attack

Two Costa Mesa men stabbed over the weekend may be victims of a gang-motivated attack, police said Monday.

The incident happened about 11:40 p.m. Sunday near Pomona Avenue and Park Drive, according to the Costa Mesa Police Department.

The assailants, described as two Latino men in their 20s, confronted the brothers, ages 18 and 24, and asked them where they were from — a common gang challenge — before stabbing them with a machete or large knife, according to police. Police said neither victim belongs to a gang.

The 18-year-old suffered slashes and stab wounds to his neck and body, and was in stable condition after undergoing emergency surgery, according to police. The 24-year-old was stabbed near his hip and treated and released from Hoag Hospital.

Police ask that anyone with information call Det. Rob Hanson at (714) 754-5162 or Gang Investigator David Sevilla, who speaks Spanish, at (714) 754-5057.

— Lauren Williams

Twitter: @lawilliams30