A bloody scene unfolded outside an apartment building on 690 Allerton Ave. just after 2 p.m. in Allerton, Wednesday afternoon.
Police say it was unclear if the two men were attacked with a "stick or baton."
Neighbors just went about their day, stepping over the crime scene to catch the afternoon train.
"Violence has become normal," said Val inside his car, inches from the blood stained sidewalk. "No one blinks an eye at it."
But to Artie and Stan, this one hit close to home.
"When we was young, we played in the street sunup to sundown," Artie said. "These kids don't play in the streets no more."
The two became friends decades ago— playing stoop ball on the same blocks— but now walk those streets wondering what changed.
“It’s just straight to violence," Artie added. "Everything is a knife or a gun.”
“Cause that’s what they know,” Stan said, shaking his head.
EMS took both men to NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi, where they are expected to recover, according to authorities.