Florida Fishing Guide Arrested After Boarding Another Boat, Berating and Threatening Captain

If you thought road rage in Florida was restricted to only the paved interstate highways, think again. In a video that has amassed over 15 million views, a disgruntled (and out of control) charter boat captain let his temper get the best of him and ended up in handcuffs over the weekend.

The altercation, that took place on April 1st (and was seriously no joke), was between 40-year-old Brock Horner and 22-year-old Gage Towles under a bridge along the Peace River on Florida’s Gulf Coast. According to the explicit video footage, Horner was all hot and bothered about being previously “cussed out” by Towles, whom he mistakenly thought had yelled at him the day prior for blowing through the covered bridge area.

The young man told Horner that it was another boat that had yelled at him, but reminded him that he didn’t have permission to be “flying through the bridge area” of the Peace River, which flows into Charlotte Harbor. It was at this point that Horner seemed to get even more agitated, as if that was possible.

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⬆️ Watch the full video on Towle’s Instagram ⬆️

Asking Towles if he “wanted to f*cking go”, Horner, at this point, seems to reach a point of no return with his anger. Claiming that he was the “best charter captain” that Towles would meet in his “mother f*cking life,” Horner then positioned his vessel alongside the 22-year-old’s boat and suddenly jumped on board.

Fearing for his life, Towles loses control of his vessel to his attacker, begging him to calm down while apologizing profusely. On board what looked to be about a 17-foot center console, Horner chased the young man onto the stern of his own boat before relenting.  Regaining control of the boat, Towles began to drive back towards his assailant’s vessel, where Horner eventually got enough composure to disembark, but not before threatening Towles one last time.

Given the viral nature of the altercation, it didn’t take long for the video footage to not only come under scrutiny online, but across various legal entities as well. The first to pull the trigger on the out-of-control fishing guide was the Punta Gorda Police Department who arrested Horner on Friday night. 

Given that entering someone’s boat without permission and using threatening and aggressive behavior here in the state of Florida qualifies as burglary, Horner was charged with burglary with assault or battery, non-forced entry.

"This type of behavior will not be tolerated in our waterways—or anywhere else in our city," Punta Gorda Police Chief Pam Smith said. "We are committed to ensuring the safety of our residents and visitors, both on land and on the water." 

And while Punta Gorda PD was the first to strike at Horner for his actions, the expectation is that both Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Commission and the US Coast Guard will also both come forward with additional charges of their own.

Following the incident and his arrest, Horner’s attorney released a statement of apology on behalf of his client.

"He is deeply sorry. What began as a moment of frustration and concern escalated in a way it simply should not have," the statement reads, in part, according to Gulf Coast News Now. "Gage handled the situation with impressive composure and class and that level-headedness helped prevent things from becoming far worse."

According to his attorney, his business has since been destroyed along with his reputation. A quick search for his business, formerly known as Tarpon Coast Fishing Charters, is all but wiped from the world wide web along with any social media presence he might have previously had. 

The unfortunate reality of this situation is that Horner is also a decorated combat veteran who was severely injured in Afghanistan. While none of us are here to take away what he gave to our country, it unfortunately isn’t an excuse for his actions last week. Towles was seen in the video thanking Horner for his service on multiple occasions and the majority of the comments circulating on the web mirror that same appreciative sentiment.

"He served honorably, earned multiple medals, and suffered a traumatic brain injury in combat. He is recognized as 100% disabled by the Department of Veterans Affairs. That’s not an excuse — but it is part of his story. He stood up when this country asked him to, and that service deserves to be respected."

Horner was released from the Charlotte County Jail Saturday morning on $20,000 bond.