A day spent fishing on a charter boat was supposed to be a time to relax.
But it turned into a national media circus.
And a video caught how a Florida fishing trip went wrong fast after this ugly fight.
Charter fishing boat captain goes viral after raging out at another fisherman
A charter fishing trip in Punta Gorda, Florida became a viral story after the boat’s captain got into an argument with another fisherman.
Captain Brock Horner of Tarpon Coast Fishing Charters came across 22-year-old Gage Towles in a boat near a Punta Gorda bridge.
Towles was fishing when Horner, in an apparent case of mistaken identity, began yelling at him over a perceived slight earlier in the day.
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The 22-year-old recorded his encounter which went viral on social media.
Horner asked if he was fishing under the bridge “the other morning” and asked if Towles had cursed at him.
Towles told him that he had the wrong guy, but Horner was determined to go off.
Horner sped through the area under the bridge while Towles was trying to fish.
“What are you trying to do?” Towles asked.
The fishing captain blew a gasket at this point and began yelling at him.
“You wanna f***in’ go?” Horner asked.
Towles said that he did not want to fight and that he just wanted him to leave.
Horner kept trying to escalate the situation and inched his boat toward Towles.
“I’m on the water more than you can possibly fathom in your wildest dreams!” Horner shouted. “I’m 300 days a year. On the mother***ng water. Every day. I’m the best charter captain you will ever meet in your mother***ing life!”
Horner boarded Towles’ boat and proceeded to grab his shirt and demanded an apology.
The irate charter captain continued to yell at Towles before he eventually went back to his boat.
Maritime meltdown is the end of the captain’s fishing career
The video of Horner’s meltdown garnered national attention and put him on the radar of law enforcement.
He was arrested by the Punta Gorda Police Department for burglary with assault or battery, non-forced entry.
The Coast Guard and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission also opened investigations into him.
“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.”
Old Florida Adventures Fishing Charters captain Kevin Little argued that water rage was becoming a real problem.
“There was some violence there. That guy was coming on that boat,” Little told Fox 13. “You do see more and more of this rage on the water, and people getting aggravated.”
Little said that it was lucky the situation was not worse.
“For that man to step on that boat, he’s trespassing now, and in Florida, we got a right to stand our ground law,” Little explained. “That would be like somebody trying to rip your door open, come in on you and take you out of the car.”
Brock Horner issued an apology after his arrest, but it could be a case of too little, too late.
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
