A Florida captain’s career is sinking quicker than a dead redfish thanks to a viral video that shows him teeing off on a 22-year-old fisherman, boarding his boat and threatening to fight him. The footage of Capt. Brock Horner was recorded by the young angler, Gage Towles, and shared to his sixfourfishing channel Wednesday.
And the clip is likely to haunt Horner for some time, even if he is, as he claims in the video, “the best charter captain you’ll ever meet in your motherfucking life.” His four minutes of rage and fame have conjured so much internet fury that even the local police department is feeling the heat.
“A police report has been filed with the department, and the incident is currently under investigation,” the Punta Gorda Police Department announced in a Facebook post Thursday. “The event has garnered significant attention on social media, and we are receiving numerous calls to dispatch requesting that the department take action. Please do not call to report this situation.”
The department said in the post that the Coast Guard has gotten calls, too. A PGPD spokesperson was unable to share additional details about the investigation when contacted by Outdoor Life Friday. But inquiring minds can witness Horner’s fury for themselves by visiting Towles’ YouTube page.
Towles, who could not be reached for comment, recorded the video April 1 while fishing between Punta Gorda and Charlotte Harbor. He was alone on his boat near the Barron Collier Bridge when Capt. Horner motored up. There were several men on his boat who did not speak up or intervene during the incident; it’s unclear if they were clients or buddies.
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Horner opens the conversation by asking, but really accusing, Towles if he was fishing the same bridge “the other morning,” and if he was the guy who was cussing him out. Towles tells him yes he was fishing there recently when Horner ran between him and another boat, but that it was the other guy who yelled at him.
This case of mistaken identity kicks off a brief argument about whose running lights were on, and who has the right to run full speed through a channel while other people are fishing there. You can hear in Horner’s tone that the rage bomb is already ticking. Towles says he doesn’t want to argue, and when Horner keeps chirping, Towles asks him, “What are you trying to do?”
To which Horner responds, his arms spread wide: “You wanna fuckin’ go?”
“No, I don’t wanna fuckin’ go, I want you to get the fuck out of here!” Towles replies.
Some more words are exchanged, including Horner’s not-so subtle brag that everyone knows how tough he is because he’s a military veteran. Towles keeps trying to diffuse the situation — thanking Horner for his service, asking him to leave, and at times apologizing — as the two yell back and forth across the channel. Horner keeps escalating, and a little more than two minutes into their exchange, the licensed captain starts puttering in Towles’ direction. The thing that really sets him off, it seems, is Towles’ claim that he, too, fishes there often.
“I’m on the water more than you can possibly fathom in your wildest dreams!” Horner yells as he approaches. “I’m 300 days a year. On the motherfucking water. Every day. I’m the best charter captain you will ever meet in your motherfucking life!”
Sidling up to Towles’ boat as he yells this, a red-hot Horner jumps onto Towles’ boat, takes the wheel, and pushes down the throttle, all while still berating the kid and demanding an apology. For the first time in the exchange, you can hear real panic in Towles’ voice. He says sorry repeatedly, and pleads with the angry captain to leave him alone —— and that he’s just a kid. Horner keeps threatening him, circling the center console like he’s ready to throw down, but he eventually relents as Towles re-takes control of the wheel and brings him back to his boat.
Horner, who owns and operates Tarpon Coast Fishing Charters, appears to have pulled down his business website, and all of his social media pages went dark sometime Thursday afternoon. His attorney did issue an apology by Horner to the Gulf Coast News. It reads, in part:
Brock sincerely apologizes to Gage, to Gage’s family, and to anyone who was frightened or upset by what they saw. He is deeply sorry. What began as a moment of frustration and concern escalated in a way it simply should not have. Gage handled the situation with impressive composure and class, and that level-headedness helped prevent things from becoming far worse.
Brock is not proud of how he acted. But it’s important to remember: we are not the sum of our worst day. That video captured one moment — not the whole of who he is.
Since the video went viral, Brock’s business has been destroyed, his reputation damaged, and his family — including his wife and mother — have been harassed and even threatened. Some have gone so far as to question his military service and accuse him of stolen valor.
Let me be clear: Brock is a decorated combat veteran who was severely injured in Afghanistan. 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.
We live in a time when online outrage can quickly spiral into personal destruction. But just as Gage showed grace in the moment, I ask others to do the same now. Let’s hold people accountable — but also give them room to grow and make amends.
Although no charges against Horner are yet known, reckless operation of a vessel is a first-degree misdemeanor in Florida. It’s also grounds for potentially losing your USCG captain’s license.
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