A Portland man arrested after allegedly stabbing another male in what he says was self-defence in Nantucket, Massachusetts on Tuesday, has been released on US$2,500 bail, according to US media reports.

The Jamaican, 39-year-old Kemar Downer, appeared in the Nantucket District Court on Wednesday morning on two charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, causing serious bodily injury.

a screengrab from surveillance video showing the stab victim approaching and hitting Downer from behind before fleeing after being stabbed (Nantucket Current) 

According to the Nantucket Current, the altercation, in which Downer has claimed self-defence resulted in a man being transported to a mainland hospital by Medflight helicopter.

Surveillance footage obtained by the Current shows a man in a safety vest approach Downer in a white shirt and hit him repeatedly, after which Downer seems to pull an item and slash at the man multiple times before the man flees.

Downer has pleaded not guilty and has been released from custody after posting bail, the report indicated.

Downer’s attorney, Rob Moriarty, told the court on Wednesday that the incident “had something to do with a girl,” adding that his client had no prior criminal record.

The court set bail at US$2,500, and Downer must wear a GPS monitoring device and have no contact with the victim.

The Jamaican was supported in court by his longtime employer, while his attorney made the case that the other individual is bigger than him and attacked him from behind, describing the fact that he was held without an arraignment until Wednesday as unconscionable.