PUNTA GORDA, Fla. (WSVN) —A viral video is hurting business for a Florida charter company after a captain is seen getting confrontational with another boater. Now, a woman who booked a trip with the company is demanding her money back after seeing the video.
“When you look on social media, he did advertise as being the best tarpon fishing in the area,” said Smith.
Shalon Smith booked a 2-day fishing trip with Captain Brock Horner.
“I’m the best charter captain you will ever meet in your [explicit] life,” Horner can be hear yelling in the viral video.
But she wants her money back after seeing a viral video of him getting into a fight with another boater.
“We actually booked a few months ago for my son’s 16th birthday. Big deal for us,” said Smith. “My son’s buddy’s mom has family out in Florida and she sent me the link and she goes, ‘Is this the captain you’re going with? You may want to reconsider’.
It reportedly started over lights and speeding under a bridge in Punta Gorda.
“[…] cause he didn’t have his [explicit] lights on,” Horner yelled.
“Bro, you shouldn’t come flying through the middle of the bridge. You know people fish here, bro,” said Gage Towels.
Gage Towles took the video of his encounter with Captain Horner that would end with Horner eventually jumping on his boat.
“Chill bro, chill bro, please bro,” Towels can be heard pleading.
Smith said she paid $1,800 at booking and was set to pay Captain Horner another $1,800 the day of the trip, April 14.
But suddenly he was rather hard to reach.
“He wasn’t responding to calls, texts, emails, his website was shut down. His social media was shut down. I felt at a complete loss,” said Smith.
She eventually got in contact with Capt. Horner’s attorney to see if he could help get her money back.
“He said he is in contact, obviously, with his client. There’s a lot of “moving pieces”. So I don’t know what that means. But he did say if i don’t hear back to him in a week to contact him again,” she said.
Other boaters who know Captain Horner say the incident was completely uncalled for.
“It wasn’t worth losing his whole entire business now. And I mean, people want their money bac, they’re not getting it back,” said a man.
After the incident, surrounding businesses have cut ties with Horner. He was arrested by the Punta Gorda Police Department.
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