A boater struggle in Florida went viral — now police are investigating | EUROtoday

The “best charter captain you’ll ever meet” was arrested by police in south Florida this week after a video displaying him berating after which boarding the boat of a younger fisherman went viral.

The clip exhibits Brock Horner, 40, on a ship with others yelling on the man recording the video in Punta Gorda, Florida, simply south of Fort Myers. The situation is outwardly Horner dashing within the space whereas he accused the fisherman, Gage Towels, of not having his lights and of “cussing him out.” The incident occurred on April 1.

Horner is now charged with housebreaking with assault or battery. The video exhibits the verbal confrontation escalate to the purpose the place Horner boards the opposite man’s boat to proceed threatening him. Police say that at this level, Horner grabbed Towels’ shirt.

The man panics, profusely apologizing and making an attempt to defuse the state of affairs. The dialog ends as the opposite man takes Horner again to his boat.

The Punta Gorda Police Department confirmed that Horner was arrested primarily based on the video. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the U.S. Coast Guard are investigating the case.

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

Criminal lawyer Spencer Cordell instructed Fox4 that regardless of the video’s colourful language, Horner didn’t break the legislation till he boarded Towels’ boat.

“Obviously, the behavior in the video is pretty egregious, it’s pretty shocking, but sometimes being really rude and even saying or doing things that are really shocking don’t necessarily rise to the level of criminal activity.”

“If they do decide to charge a trespassing charge it is a misdemeanor, which is a criminal offense. It’s not as serious as a felony but it is the kind of thing he could potentially be facing jail time for,” the legal professional stated.

Horner is the proprietor of Tarpon Coast Fishing Charters in Punta Gorda.

The navy veteran has launched a press release expressing his regret for the altercation.

“First and foremost, Brock sincerely apologizes to Gage, to Gage’s family, and to anyone who was frightened or upset by what they saw. He is deeply sorry. What began as a moment of frustration and concern escalated in a way it simply should not have.|

“Gage handled the situation with impressive composure and class, and that level-headedness helped prevent things from becoming far worse,” his lawyer Scott Weinberg stated.

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On his firm’s now-deleted web site, Horner says that he’s an skilled fisherman and saltwater fishing event champion. He is a local of Port Charlotte, Florida.

He was a U.S. Army Ranger and served as a paratrooper in Iraq. Weinberg addressed Horner’s navy file in his assertion.

“Brock is a decorated combat veteran who was severely injured in Afghanistan. He served honorably, earned multiple medals, and suffered a traumatic brain injury in combat. He is recognized as 100% disabled by the Department of Veterans Affairs.”

“That’s not an excuse — but it is part of his story. He stood up when this country asked him to, and that service deserves to be respected.”

Towels, 22, titled the video: “Charter captain jumps on my boat and tries to fight me for no reason.”

At the time of writing the clip has nearly 400,000 views on YouTube.

“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. 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,” Towles wrote within the description of the video.

Since the video unfold on-line, The Fisherman’s Village in Punta Gorda has introduced that it has reduce ties with Horner, stories The Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

One of the opposite males on Horner’s boat has been recognized as a neighborhood firefighter.

The video has unfold to such a level {that a} constitution captain who lives 100 miles from Punta Gorda and has the same title to Horner has now been receiving loss of life threats.

“Because we had the first name, people somehow assumed that I was the culprit… It has been completely a nightmare,” Capt. Brock Wagner instructed WFLA.