Saskatchewan man charged with attempted murder in Taber, Alta.

Taber police have laid several charges, including attempted murder and assault with a weapon, after a man was beaten unconscious with a spade.

Just before midnight Dec. 28, police responded to serious assault in the backyard of a residence in the 5000-block of 53 Avenue.

Investigators allege a 26-year-old woman, who recently moved to Taber from Saskatchewan, was hit with a garden shovel, choked and had her life threatened.

When a third person, a 25-year-old-man, tried to help the woman, investigators said the suspect hit him in the head with a spade, knocking him unconscious.

It is alleged the suspect continued to hit the man in the head with the spade, even as he laid unconscious.

READ MORE: Man found with head injuries in Taber parking lot: STARS

The male victim was taken to Taber hospital and eventually flown by STARS ambulance to Foothills Hospital in Calgary.

He remained in the intensive care unit Friday, but has been able to speak with investigators.

Thirty-nine-year-old Maurice Joseph Lavallee, from Timber Lake, Sask., is charged with: attempted murder, aggravated assault, assault with a weapon and uttering threats.

He remains in custody and will appear in Taber provincial court on Jan. 17, 2017.