PORTLAND – A 37-year-old man was killed early Saturday after a group of young men chased him down and attacked him near a public housing complex, police said.

Authorities on Sunday identified the dead man as Frank Williams III, whom they described as a transient resident of Portland.

Police received several 911 calls shortly before 2 a.m. Saturday reporting that a “pack” of up to eight men between 16 and 25 years old had chased the man through a soccer field near the Kennedy Park housing complex, said acting Police Chief Joe Loughlin.

After the man was caught, he was assaulted repeatedly before crawling through a hole in a fence and collapsing on a sidewalk on Fox Street, where police found him when they arrived a few minutes later, Loughlin said. Williams was suffering from at least one stab wound.

Williams was taken to Maine Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Detectives believe the assailant knew the victim, Loughlin said.

“We’re not sure of the motive behind this,” he said. “There’s a possibility of drugs being involved, but we’re not sure.”

Witnesses told police that the assailants were white, black and of Asian descent, Loughlin said. A weapon was pulled during the attack, but the chief declined to say what kind of weapon it was.

Police on Sunday were awaiting a report from the state medical examiner’s office.

No arrests have been made and detectives are continuing to investigate the case. They are seeking help from any witnesses who have information.