Who is Brock Horner? Florida charter captain apologizes after boat rage video goes viral

Is Brock Horner the best charter captain you'll ever meet in your (expletive) life? He may be the most obscene, and he's about to be the most famous.

Horner, the owner of Tarpon Coast Fishing Charters in Punta Gorda, is going viral after a young fisherman, Gage Towles, posted video of the older captain yelling at him across the water, apparently mistaking him for another boater involved in an earlier near-collision. Horner berated Towles for several minutes before jumping from his boat into Towles' and taking off with the younger man still aboard.

Towles, who had been steadily trying to calm the irate man down during the exchange, offered panicky apologies until Horner allowed him to take the wheel again.

Boat captain arrested, faces felony and charge

Horner was arrested Friday night, days after the video of his threatening behavior went viral.

Horner, 40, of Punta Gorda, was charged with burglary with assault or battery, a felony. He was released from the Charlotte County Jail on Saturday morning on $20,000 bond.

But that's just one case Horner is involved in. The United States Coast Guard and The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are also investigating the incident, Punta Gorda Police Chief Pam Smith said in a press conference Saturday morning, and additional charges could be forthcoming.

Brock Horner apologizes in released statement

Horner has apologized. In a statement released to Gulf Coast News, his attorney, Scott Weinberg, said, "First and foremost, 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," Weinberg said, and added that Brock's business and reputation have been destroyed and his family harassed.

Here's what we know.

What did Captain Brock Horner do?

In the video titled "Charter captain jumps on my boat and tries to fight me for no reason" posted to social media this week, Towles, 22, was fishing alone under the Barron Collier Bridge in the early hours of Tuesday, April 1. In the video, Horner, 40, and four other men in a boat pulled up nearby. Horner called over to Towles, asking if he was the kid who "cussed at him" earlier and Towles said no.

Horner, unconvinced, continued to scream at Towles for not having his lights on earlier. Towles replied calmly that Horner had him confused with someone else but that Horner can't come "flying through the bridge area," which apparently infuriated Horner even more.

At one point, Horner asked the younger man if he "wants to (expletive) go." Towles responded, "I don't wanna go ... I want you to get the (expletive) out of here." He reminded Horner that he was the one who pulled up on Towles, when he was just trying to fish.

Towles asked if Horner was trying to "act like a tough guy in front of your buddies," and Horner said that he and his friends are veterans. Still calm, Towles thanked him for his service and tried to go back to fishing.

But Horner continued swearing and yelling at Towles for not having his lights on and ignoring Towles' repeated denials. "I'm sorry, I don't know if that's what you want to hear, bro," he told Horner, and pointed out that the other boater cursed at Horner for almost hitting him when he came through. But Horner didn't stop.

As Horner's boat moved closer, he yelled at Towles, saying he was the "best charter captain you will ever meet in your (expletive) life," a line that has now gone viral on social media. And then he escalated.

Brock jumps onboard and takes over Towles' boat

When Horner's boat got close enough, he jumped from one to the other and hit the throttle, sending Towles' boat racing off with both men in it.

Towles, who had remained calm and mostly conciliatory during the encounter, finally started to panic.

"Chill bro, chill bro please!" he yelled repeatedly, as he quickly moved as far as he could away from Horner in the small craft, followed by "I'm a kid bro, I'm a kid."

Horner continued yelling and telling him to apologize — which Towles did, repeatedly and a bit frantically — until Horner let him take the wheel and head back to Horner's boat.

"Do it (expletive) again, and watch what happens," he said.

Throughout the encounter, the other four men on Horner's boat remained stone-faced, with one man facing away during the entire incident.

Boat rage captain goes viral

Since the video was posted on Facebook it has been watched more than 12 million times as of Friday morning, with over 41,000 comments. Towles also posted it on YouTube Thursday, where it's gotten 216,000 views as of Friday morning.

"I never wanted to post this video in the first place because it made me feel so weak," Towles wrote in the description.

"But I was already having a horrible day and this iced the cake. 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."

Parody accounts have been created for Horner and internet sleuths are digging into his criminal background. The Fisherman's Village in Punta Gorda announced it has severed ties with him, and Pathfinder Boats, makers of the craft Horner uses, distanced themselves from him, saying his actions did not reflect their values.

The North Port Fire Rescue Fire Chief Scott Titus, responding to reports that one of their firefighters was aboard Horner's boat, said Friday morning that Firefighter Johnny Riggs would be addressed appropriately after an investigation.

Who is Brock Horner?

Captain Brock Horner is the owner of Tarpon Coast Fishing Charters in Punta Gorda. According to an archived copy of his company's website, now offline, he was born in Port Charlotte and is a 6th-generation Florida native and a saltwater fishing tournament champion, with over 25 years of experience in fishing. Brock pilots a 2024 27′ 2700 Pathfinder Hybrid.

Brock's page said he is a Florida Gulf Coast University graduate and was a U.S. Army Ranger Veteran (Paratrooper) in Iraq certified in CPR, AED and Pediatrics.

"Brock is a decorated combat veteran who was severely injured in Afghanistan," Weinberg said. "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."

Where is Punta Gorda, Florida?

Punta Gorda is the county seat of Charlotte County on the west coast of the state, on the south bank of the Peace Riover and the eastern shore of Charlotte Harbor, an arm of the Gulf of America (until recently the Gulf of Mexico). It's about 24 miles northwest of Fort Myers and 52 miles southeast of Sarasota.

(This story was updated with new information.)

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida boat rage video goes viral. Who is Brock Horner?