Punta Gouda, Fla. (WFLA) – Florida charter captain ordered to not contact the victims of an angry exchange with a fisherman, according to court documents.
On April 1st, Brock Horner, 40, of Port Charlotte, confronted Fisherman Gauge Towls, 22, at Gilchristbridge.
Watch the full virus video of Florida charter captain and encounter between fishermen
According to a possible affidavit from the Punta Gorda police, Horner confronted Towls about an alleged incident on the morning of March 30th that Towls cursed him and called a slur.
Police said Towls’ explanation of the event was that he and his friends were fishing under the bridge around 5:30am that day when Horner struck a boat on a charter ship. Towls also said another sailor was nearby and was approaching the Horner, who was said to be traveling “at high speed.”
The almost collision led to three fishermen screaming before screaming at the Horner, the affidavit said. Horner said the other two boats had no navigation lights on, but Towles said he did so and believes that the other Boaters might have been on his lights.
Who is Brock Horner? Angry Florida Charter Captain Stands Up Boater in Viral Video
Towles and Horner encounter each other the following night. Initially, the two exchanged jabs in previous incidents.
“Boys, you can’t fly through the middle of the bridge,” replied Towles.
“Bulls————————————————————————————————————————–
Towles tried to escalate at multiple points as shown in the video.
“I’m fishing. Friends, please leave here!” cried the fisherman.
However, a tense discussion escalated when Horner brought the boat next to Towles’ ship, shortly after he said “he’s the best charter captain I’ve ever met.”
Police said while on the boat, Horner grabbed Towls’ shirt and pulled him.
“While talking to Towls, I asked him if he felt that the defendant wanted him to fight him, and he advised him “Yes,” a Punta Gouda official wrote in the affidavit. “Towls confirmed he felt threatened or scared his life and even thought of jumping into the water from his boat to escape the defendant.”
The incident ended with a towl that brought Horner back into the boat, as the captain said, “Do it again and see that f —– happens.”
The affidavit states that Towles provided the police with a screenshot of the Instagram message, and that Horner admitted to the incident and apologized to Towles.
“It should be noted that at the time of the incident in which the defendant agreed to a total loss of temper and poor decision, two passengers on the defendant’s ship were contacted,” the document said.
Punta Gorda police arrested Horner on April 4th on suspicion of assault or battery robbery. The US Coast Guard is also conducting its own investigation.
On April 5th, Horner did not contact Towles and was ordered by the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office to abandon the necessary guns and ammunition.
Although Towles has not spoken to the media since the incident, in a victim impact statement released Monday, Towles’ lawyer Steven Leskobich said he is “very interested in pouring light empt and disgust towards Horner’s family and community.”
According to the statement, Towles wants people who are angry at Horner’s actions so that they don’t threaten Horner’s actions or pose any vulgar threats to the Horner family.
