An unhinged charter boat captain who bullied a young fisherman then jumped on his dinghy and threatened to bash him faces jail and professional ruin.
Brock Horner of Tarpon Coast Fishing Charters unleashed on Gage Towles, 22, on the water in Punta Gorda, Florida, after an earlier near-miss with a different vessel.
Towles posted disturbing footage from April 1 in which he repeatedly told Horner he ‘has the wrong guy’, which only seemed to infuriate him more.
Horner refused to accept Towles’ explanation and clambered aboard the young man’s boat while threatening to attack him.
The captain now faces criminal charges from local, state, and federal agencies and dire professional consequences.
Horner was charged with felony burglary with assault or battery and released from the Charlotte County Jail on Saturday morning on $20,000 bail.
The US Coast Guard and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are also investigating and may file additional charges.
His business websites and social media pages were taken offline and his reputation appeared to be in tatters.
Unhinged charter boat captain Brock Horner was filmed harassing and threatening to beat a young fisherman in a terrifying rant over a case of mistaken identity
Horner was charged with felony burglary with assault or battery and released from the Charlotte County Jail on Saturday morning on $20,000 bail
Horner apologized for his behavior in a lengthy statement from his lawyer and longtime friend Scott Weinberg.
‘What began as a moment of frustration and concern escalated in a way it simply should not have,’ he said.
‘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.’
Weinberg described Horner as a ‘decorated combat veteran who was severely injured in Afghanistan‘ and suffered a traumatic brain injury in combat.
The lawyer noted this was not an excuse for his behavior, but in the same breath insisted Horner ‘stood up when this country asked him to’ and his military history ‘deserves to be respected’.
Gage Towles, 22, posted disturbing footage from April 1 in which he repeatedly told Horner he ‘has the wrong guy’, which only seemed to infuriate him more
A photo on Horner’s now-deleted business website for Tarpon Coast Fishing Charters
Horner, during his abuse of the young fisherman, also bragged about his military service as a justification for his actions and called Towles a ‘p***y-ass f**k’.
‘I appreciate you for your service, bro, but that doesn’t give you the right… you don’t gotta run through the middle of the bridge,’ Towles replied.
Horner was a US Army Ranger and discharged as 100 per cent disabled.
Weinberg begged thousands watching the damning video to show restraint and forgiveness, despite Horner displaying neither.
‘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,’ he said.
‘Let’s hold people accountable – but also give them room to grow and make amends. Brock is committed to doing exactly that.’
Horner’s outrageous tirade culminated in him jumping onto Towles’ tiny vessel like a pirate boarding party.
‘I’m 300 f**king days on the water, I’m the best charter captain you’ll ever f**king meet in your motherf**king life. You cuss me out… Apologize,’ Horner screeched as he menacingly cornered Towles.
Towles frantically tried to get the much larger man to back down: ‘Chill bro please, please bro, bro I’m a kid.’
Horner flung himself onto the young man’s boat while threatening to attack him
The altercation escalated as Horner doubled down on his abuse, despite the 22-year-old maintaining he wasn’t involved in the early-morning clash.
Towles tried to defuse the situation by explaining that another fisherman who was also out on the water hours earlier was the one who shouted at Horner and failed to keep his lights on.
‘You don’t cuss me out, talk s**t to me… you and your motherf***ing friend are lucky I didn’t come here and f**k you both up, do it again and watch what happens,’ Horner threatened.
Towles alternated between repeatedly apologizing and trying to explain that Horner had the wrong guy.
‘It made me feel so weak but I was already having a horrible day and this was the (icing on) the cake,’ Towles later explained when he shared the video.
‘I look at it now like I possibly can save another person from Brock Horner or possibly someone’s life by getting this captain off the water.’
Initially, Horner and his mates were at a safe distance from Towles’ boat, but rapidly approached the spot where the 22-year-old had set up his fishing gear.
‘You were cussing me out,’ Horner shouted from a distance.
Towles replied casually, pointing to a part of the waterway nearby as he said: ‘Nah that was the dude in that boat. Were you the one that came through in the middle of the bridge? I was here, but you ran in front of the dude over there.’
When he realized that Horner was not letting it go, Towles said it was ‘not the time,’ and that he’s ‘not going to do this’, which only infuriated the seasoned fisherman more.
Towles alternated between repeatedly apologizing and trying to explain that Horner had the wrong guy
‘You want to f**king go?’ he asked Towles, who was fishing on the water solo.
Towles said that he did not want any trouble, but wanted Horner to ‘get the f**k out of here’.
‘Big tough guy,’ Horner hit back from the deck of his from his 2024 27ft 2700 Pathfinder Hybrid.
‘Big tough guy? You pulled up on me motherf***er,’ Towles said. ‘What are you trying to do, act like a tough guy in front of your buddies?’
Horner said he didn’t need to ‘act tough’ in front of his mates, because they all ‘know I’m f**king tough… we’re all f***ing war veterans’.
This revelation prompted Towles to thank Horner for his service in the hope of lowering the temperature of the argument, but to no avail.
Instead, Horner only grew more belligerent until he climbed about Towles’ tiny boat while the young man cowered on the other side and began calling him ‘sir’.
After more than a minute of close-range abuse, Horner got back on his boat and Towles got away as fast as possible.
The Punta Gorda Police Department was so inundated with reports of the incident after the video went viral that they had to put out an urgent request to stop members of the community from calling about it.
‘The Punta Gorda Police Department is aware of the incident involving a dispute between two adult boaters under the Barron Collier Bridge on April 1, 2025,’ the department said.
‘A police report has been filed with the department, and the incident is currently under investigation.
‘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; it is currently being investigated by both the Punta Gorda Police, FWC, and the US Coast Guard. Additional calls to our dispatch could slow our response to situations that require immediate attention.’
‘It made me feel so weak but I was already having a horrible day and this was the (icing on) the cake,’ Towles later explained when he shared the video
The trio of men who were on the boat with Horner have also been condemned for not helping Towles or de-escalating the situation.
One of the men steered the boat closer to Towles, which gave Horner the opportunity to jump on board.
Austin Stewart, who was on the boat with Horner at the time, has since broken his silence to insist he had no way of knowing what the captain was about to do.
‘Yes, I was on the boat when everything went down, but I wasn’t involved in the situation that caused it,’ he said.
‘I’m young myself and did everything I could to calm things down… I didn’t expect Brock to jump in the other boater’s boat – it caught all of us off guard.
‘I want to be clear, I condemn Brock’s actions and in no way support what happened.’
Stewart said he is now ‘fully cooperating’ with law enforcement officials who are investigating the situation.
Another of the men on Horner’s boat, Johnny Riggs, is a fellow combat veteran and North Port Firefighter whose fire chief Scott Titus defended him online, claiming he was ‘known for his calm, easygoing demeanor’.
‘Firefighter Riggs has saved many lives and influenced a positive outcome on many calls in our city, not to mention his sacrifice to fight for our freedom in his military career,’ he wrote.
‘We will continue to honor and value his past service to country and his investment in our community as we determine the facts of the case and address them.’
This wasn’t good enough from locals, who criticized Riggs for failing to do his duty as a first responder and prevent the altercation.
‘Your celebrated veteran sat on his ass like a little passenger princess so cut the bulls**t and stop making up excuses,’ one wrote.
Another added: ‘These moments are what define you and Johnny Riggs choose to do nothing.’
Initially, Horner and his mates were at a safe distance from Towles’ boat, but rapidly approached the spot where the 22-year-old had set up his fishing gear
Towles has been inundated with support from the local fishing community.
‘I’m a local marine professional and Marine combat veteran. I’m truly ashamed at Brock and everyone else’s conduct on his boat ,’ one supporter said.
‘This is not how veterans or boat pros should carry themselves, and I’m sorry you had to experience that. These waters should provide therapy and solitude, not add drama and trauma to our lives.’
Another added: ‘So he boarded your vessel, without invitation, with intent to harm.. that’s piracy punishable up to life in prison. Press charges.’
‘You handled this like a real man. You did everything to de-escalate and defuse him. The amount of strength and power it took to remain calm and collected proves who the bigger man is. Well done buddy. Your parents should be proud,’ a third wrote.
