Who is Brock Horner? Alleged arrest history of Florida charter captain of Tarpon Coast Fishing surfaces amid viral video row
A Florida-based boat captain named Brock Horner has gone viral after his video of screaming at a young fisherman, Gage Towles, in Punta Gorda, Florida, on April 1, 2025, surfaced online.
The clip showed Towles fishing alone in his boat when another boat with Horner and other men aboard pulled up nearby and started questioning him about an incident that occurred earlier that day.
Brock, who’s a charter boat captain, affiliated with Tarpon Coast Fishing Charters and has reportedly been arrested at least 12 times in the past, accused Gage of not turning on his boat’s safety lights around 5 am before dawn and asked whether the young man "cussed at him" before.
Towles denied both and insisted the safety lights on his boat were on and pointed out that another boat near the bridge had its lights off.
However, the exchange soon got heated and Brock Horner was seen yelling profanities at Gage Towles.
The former claimed he was the “best charter captain” the latter would ever meet, and then stepped onto Towles’ boat without his permission.
The 22-year-old Gage tried to de-escalate the situation by saying, "chill, bro" and repeatedly said he didn’t “want to argue,” and was “just a kid.”
However, Brock Horner continued to scream as Towles drove away with the captain still on his boat. Subsequently, the young fisherman circled back and dropped Brock off at his own boat.
“Do it again, and watch what happens,” Horner warned, before getting off.
The video was uploaded on Facebook by Towles himself on April 3, 2025, and earned more than five million views in under 24 hours.
All you need to know about Brock Horner amid the viral video
Brock Horner is a sixth-generation Floridian with 25 years of fishing experience. He is the founder and owner of Tarpon Coast Fishing Charters which operates out of Sarasota, Charlotte Harbor, Boca Grande, and Tampa Bay areas.
Horner, 40, graduated from Florida Gulf Coast University and is a US Army Ranger veteran who served as a paratrooper during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
He is trained and certified in CPR, AED, and Pediatrics. The charter boat captain is also involved with the Wounded Warriors Alumni Association, according to the Tarpon Coast Fishing Charters.
As per Florida arrest records obtained by Times Now, Brock has been arrested a dozen times between 2003 and 2008 when he was in university.
Charges include DUI, felony battery, weapons possession on school grounds, driving with a suspended license, theft of property, multiple probation violations, and more.
The cases were spread across Sarasota, Charlotte Harbor, and Duval and bonds were between $500 to $1000. In 2010 and 2014, he was also arrested for disorderly conduct and DUI respectively.
Brock Horner was taken into custody in 2016 for violating probation or community control.
In the wake of the latest incident, the Punta Gorda Police Department issued a social media statement claiming the matter was under investigation by the department, Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, and the US Coast Guard.
“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. A police report has been filed with the department, and the incident is currently under investigation,” the Facebook post read.
They further noted that they have been receiving “numerous calls to dispatch requesting that the department take action” and were aware of its social media attention.
However, the department has asked not to report the case anymore as it was already being investigated and additional calls would slow down their response to situations requiring immediate attention.
Meanwhile, X user @shipwreckcrew who describes himself as a federal prosecutor shared an alleged update.
He mentioned reportedly getting in touch with Brock Horner’s attorney who has seemingly put out a statement on his client’s behalf.
“It begins [with] a full apology to the young man fishing by himself from Brock Horner. Capt. Horner's business and family have already suffered significantly as a result of the video,” @shipwreckedcrew wrote.
He also mentioned Horner’s “conduct needs to be seen in the context of what he has given for his country,” and claimed Brock allegedly suffered “traumatic brain injury” during combat in Afghanistan and the VA has reportedly “diagnosed him as 100% disabled,” as a result of his alleged severe injuries.
The legal advisor also praised Gage Towles for handling himself “as best” as he could under the circumstances. Brock Horner's social media handles and business websites have been taken down since the viral incident.