Florida Man Arrested for ‘Unlawfully’ Boarding Younger Fisherman’s Boat After Video of Heated Confrontation Goes Viral

• Brock Horner, 40, was arrested on April 4 after police in Florida said he was filmed “unlawfully” boarding a fisherman’s boat amid a verbal confrontation in Punta Gorda
• The Punta Gorda Police Department said the Florida man is charged with burglary with assault or battery (non-forced entry)
• “This type of behavior will not be tolerated in our waterways — or anywhere else in our city,” Chief Pam Smith said in a statement

A 40-year-old Florida man, who was allegedly filmed pulling up alongside and “unlawfully” boarding another person’s boat amid a heated confrontation, has now been arrested following an investigation.

The footage shows a man — who referred to himself as the “best charter captain you’ll ever meet” — arguing with a younger fisherman and then climbing into the victim’s boat to demand an apology in Punta Gorda on April 1. The footage has gone viral on TikTok, Facebook and YouTube.

On April 4, the Punta Gorda Police Department (PGPD), the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the U.S. Coast Guard said in a joint news release that Brock Horner had been taken into custody and charged with burglary with assault or battery (non-forced entry).

“I never wanted to post this video [in] the first place because it made me feel so weak but I was already having a horrible day and this iced the cake,” the original uploader, Gage Towles, wrote on YouTube. “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.”

According to the PGPD, the department’s investigation involved reviewing the “video evidence” and interviewing those present during the confrontation, as the PGPD Marine Unit established “probable cause” to arrest Horner over what it’s calling “the unlawful boarding and threats made during the altercation.”

Upon reviewing the footage, investigators found that Horner “unlawfully” boarded the victim’s boat without permission before threatening the victim and “escalating the situation into a criminal offense.” The Coast and FWC are conducting separate investigations.

As of April 4, police said Horner remained in custody at the Charlotte County Jail.

“This type of behavior will not be tolerated in our waterways — or anywhere else in our city,” Chief Pam Smith said in the news release. “We are committed to ensuring the safety of our residents and visitors, both on land and on the water.”

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Scott Weinberg, an attorney for Horner, said in a statement provided to NBC affiliate WBBH that Horner “sincerely apologizes to Gage, to Gage’s family, and to anyone who was frightened or upset by what they saw.”

“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,” the attorney wrote. “Some have gone so far as to question his military service and accuse him of stolen valor.”

“We live in a time when online outrage can quickly spiral into personal destruction,” he added. “But just as Gage showed grace in the moment, I ask others to do the same now. Let’s hold people accountable — but also give them room to grow and make amends.”

In an announcement on Facebook, the Fisherman’s Village in Punta Gorda has since shared that it has “severed any association with this captain.”

In the footage, also shared by Fox affiliate WTVT and captured by Towles in Florida’s Peace River, a man could be heard approaching the victim about a previous encounter. He claimed the victim was “cussing me out” on a different occasion, while the victim argued that Horner “ran through the middle of the bridge” when he was fishing on an earlier date.

The argument then transitioned to the captain complaining about the victim’s boat lights, while the victim asked him to “get the f— out of here.”

During the encounter, the captain then brought up his own military service, before calling himself “the best charter captain you will ever meet” while boarding the other man’s boat and demanding he “apologize.” The younger boater attempted to drive away as the suspect continued to threaten him, before asking him to bring him back to his boat.

“Do it again and watch what f—– happens,” the man could be heard saying to the younger boater.

On April 5, the PGPD held a press conference on Horner’s arrest, as authorities confirmed that the April 1 confrontation stemmed from another that took place on the evening of March 30 — when the victim claimed that Horner drove his boat at “a high rate of speed” and came within 10 feet of his own boat.

Chief Smith confirmed that the most-recent confrontation took place when the victim was fishing “by himself.”

“If you have seen the video, you’ll see that the victim tries to disengage,” she said. “He doesn’t want anything to do with the confrontation. At some point saying, ‘Please bro, I don’t want anything to do with this.’ But Mr. Horner continues to be aggressive and eventually pulls up to the victim’s vessel.”

Police added that Horner, at one point, grabbed the victim “by his shirt.” The victim became “so afraid for his life, he actually contemplated jumping off his boat to get away from Mr. Horner,” Smith said. Horner was apprehended around 10:15 p.m. on April 4, with the investigation “still open.”

Speaking with reporters on April 5, Smith called the video a “crucial piece of evidence” in the case. “It always helps to have video when you’re in a situation like this,” she said. “The witnesses have been cooperative and have basically corroborated the victim’s statement.”

Ultimately, Smith told reporters that the “aggressive behavior” captured on camera is “not tolerated” in the city.

“We want to assure everybody that the city of Punta Gorda is a boater-friendly community,” she said. “We want our residents and our visitors to know that we take these things seriously and we want them to be able to enjoy our waterways.”