An unhinged charter boat captain was filmed harassing and threatening to beat a young fisherman in a case of mistaken identity.  

Brock Horner of Tarpon Coast Fishing Charters launched the foul-mouthed tirade against 22-year-old Gage Towles out on the water in Florida, accusing him of ‘cussing him out’ earlier in the day. 

In disturbing footage which emerged of the altercation, Towles repeatedly told Horner he ‘has the wrong guy’, which only seemed to infuriate him more.

But Horner refused to accept Towles’ explanation and flung himself onto the young man’s boat while threatening to violently attack him.

‘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 threw himself onto the young man’s boat and menacingly cornered him.

Towles replied: ‘Chill bro please, please bro, bro I’m a kid.’

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 and trying to diffuse the situation by explaining that another fisherman had also been out on the water hours earlier. 

‘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.

An unhinged charter boat captain who claims to be a veteran was filmed harassing and threatening to beat a young fisherman in a terrifying rant over a case of mistaken identity

Horner flung himself onto the young man’s boat while threatening to violently attack him

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.’ 

The video had been captured by a camera on Towles’ boat. 

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.

Brock Horner launched the foul-mouthed tirade against 22-year-old Gage Towles (pictured) out on the water in Florida, accusing him of ‘cussing him out’ earlier in the day

‘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.

‘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 a warm response from Towles, who thanked Horner for his service, and began calling him ‘sir.’

The Punta Gorda Police Department was so inundated with reports of the incident after the video went viral that they’ve 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 in a statement. 

‘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.’

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.

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

‘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. 

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.