Bonnyville man faces 24 charges linked to brutal assault of Cold Lake Mountie

Police officer recovering from 'violent assault' According to RCMP, an officer was trying to make an arrest but the suspect attacked her and then fled the scene.

EDMONTON — A man accused of beating a Cold Lake RCMP officer with her own baton is facing 24 charges including attempted murder.

Bonnyville resident Travis Peter Slipchuk, 44, allegedly attacked the officer in the parking lot of a Cold Lake Walmart on July 7.

Police said the assault began after the Mountie spotted a stolen vehicle and attempted to arrest a man, who then punched her in the head, stole her baton and struck her in the head several times.

“As soon as she went to detain him he kind of like uppercutted her, probably two or three times in the jaw. That’s when she went down,” one witness told CTV News Edmonton.

The man reportedly fled when a passerby intervened, but police said he took the baton with him and threatened another drive with it and a knife, then stole a Trailblazer.

He was finally arrested without incident after police disabled his vehicle on Highway 28.

The RCMP officer suffered serious but non-life threatening injuries and went to hospital. She is now recovering at home.

Slipchuk faces charges of attempted murder, theft and attempted theft of a weapon from a peace officer, assault with a weapon, vehicle theft, failure to comply with probation orders and failure to comply with a release order.

Slipchuk remains in custody and will next appear in Cold Lake Provincial Court on July 22.

Alberta RCMP Major Crimes continues to investigate the attack.