LEWISTON – Investigators were trying to determine what triggered a brawl in the downtown area in which a Lewiston man was stabbed in the back and chest and slashed across the throat.

Troy Berry, 21, was listed in stable condition at Central Maine Medical Center following the melee early Thursday at Knox and Birch streets.

The three people charged with aggravated assault in the stabbing are Somalis and police were exploring the possibility that the fight was the result of racial discord.

“Certainly, we’re going to look into the possibility that it was a racial issue. We want to know exactly what motivated the fight,” said Lewiston Deputy Police Chief Michael Bussiere. “If we determine it was racially motivated, we’ll forward that information to the attorney general’s office.”

Arrested on charges of aggravated assault were Bashir Jama, 23, and two 17-year-old juveniles. Two others were arrested for disorderly conduct.

The fight was the latest in a series of violent actions that has plagued the area in recent weeks.

From his hospital bed Thurday night, Berry acknowledged that he and his friends have clashed with the immigrants before but he seemed unsure if the fight was the result of racial tension.

“They don’t like us and we dont like them,” he said.

But Berry also said he was having a cigarette with two of the suspects when a third Somali appeared. Words were exchanged. Fists started flying. Berry said he began fighting with one of the Somalis and didn’t realize at first that a knife was involved.

“I thought he was punching me. It turns out, he was stabbing me,” Berry said.

Nearly a dozen people were involved in the clash and alcohol appeared to be a factor, police said. Investigators said there is a possibility the dispute had nothing to do with race.

“What we know for certain is that there were a couple groups that got together. Most, if not all of them, were intoxicated,” Bussiere said.