Boyfriend wanted to surprise his date with a party. Her ex surprised them both, cops say

Christopher Trey Lowery wanted to surprise his girlfriend Megan Berger for her 30th birthday.

So he, along with several family members and friends of the couple, took Berger to Painting with a Twist on Saturday.

But then they heard “a loud tire screeching sound followed by a white Chevrolet truck driving erratically toward them” as they walked to the front of the franchise at 5810 S. University Dr. in Davie, according to a Davie police report.

Lowery, 30, recognized the driver, identified by Davie police as Richard Madruga, as Berger’s ex-boyfriend.

And Madruga was mad.

According to the affidavit and a surveillance video released by Davie police on Friday, as soon as Lowery saw an agitated Madruga, who cops say was shouting obscenities, Lowery raced to the driver’s side of Madruga’s 2008 Chevy.

That’s because, police say, Madruga had a black handgun in his right hand and he was trying to open the door to exit the truck. Lowery pushed the front door inward to try and stop Madruga from getting out but he was unsuccessful. However, the gun was dislodged from Madruga’s hand, the report says.

The men began to fight on the ground in the sidewalk area near the truck as Berger and others move in and out of the video’s frame.

According to the arrest report, Madruga, 34, had armed himself with a screwdriver and stabbed Lowery repeatedly. In the ongoing scuffle, Madruga drops that screwdriver, grabs another with his right hand, and continues to strike Lowery.

Both men get to their feet and Madruga got into his car and drove off.

Berger told police she has two children “in common” with Madruga and that they still live together in Sunrise despite their split, according to the report.

She told Davie police she dated Lowery on and off for three years and that they have been “steady” for the past three months. She corroborated what Lowery told police.

Madruga was caught in the 2600 block of Havana Drive in Miramar and was arrested. He is charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, police said.

Painting with a Twist, which has numerous locations in Miami-Dade and Broward, serves wine as guests create paintings in a “colorful, casual party atmosphere,” according to its website.

Davie police said they arrested Richard Madruga on charges of assault with a deadly weapon for stabbing Christopher Lowery outside a Painting with a Twist franchise on July 21, 2018. Davie Police Department