Korean Australian actress Alicia Hannah-Kim known for her work in Cobra Kai alleged co-star Martin Kove bit her to the point where she nearly drew blood and kissed the bite-mark afterwards, according to a police report obtained by People.
Hannah-Kim stars as head Cobra Kai Dojo sensei Kim Da-Eun for seasons 5 and 6 of the Emmy-nominated Netflix show alongside Kove who reprises his role as main antagonist and former sensei John Kreese.
Newly released body-cam footage obtained by NBC News shows the two alongside Kim’s husband, Sebastian Roche, and a police officer. The incident happened at a Summer Con VIP meet-and-greet in Puyallup, Washington on June 22.
In the video, Kove admitted to the police officer in the video that he bit her, apologizing to the 37-year-old actress and claiming, “I was just playing because we’re very playful together, and I bit down too hard.”
In response, Hannah-Kim scolded the 79-year-old star.
“You have left a mark on my body, which in your 80-year-old brain, you think is ‘play,’” she rebuked. “Sir, were you raised in a ditch?”
In the police report, Hannah-Kim described how the incident occurred.
“I walked past Martin Kove, tapped him on the shoulder and said hello & he turned around grabbed my arm and bit down hard almost drawing blood. I yelped and drew back and then he grabbed my arm again to kiss it,” she added. “I pulled away and rushed back to my table.”
After, Hannah-Kim alleged Kove “exploded on them.” The report read Kove was later removed from the venue.
“I would like it to go on his record, on the record between me and him, so that he cannot ever do this to me again,” Hannah-Kim said to the police officer.
The officer on the scene documented the potential consequences Kove could receive in the police report filed.
“It was absolutely illegal and not only did he cross boundaries but he broke the law, and it was being investigated as an assault, and he could potentially be booked into jail or issued a citation for his unprovoked biting and kissing,” he wrote.
Kove publicly apologized to Hannah-Kim in a statement released by TMZ.
“I deeply regret and apologize for my actions regarding the incident with Alicia, a genuinely kind and wonderful person who didn’t deserve to be put in this position.”
He continued, “I’ve always respected her and considered her a highly professional and talented co-worker on Cobra Kai. I was being playful in the moment but went too far and there is absolutely no excuse for my behavior.”
Although the show wrapped up filming in June 2024 and released part three of its final season in February 2025, there are several upcoming conventions slated with both of the actors set to appear.
NBC News confirmed they have reached out to both stars, but have received no response.
Support our June Membership Drive and receive member-only benefits. With less than four days left in our fundraising drive, we are running out of time. We are just 51% of our goal of $10,000 in new donations and monthly and annual donation pledges and 44% of our goal of gaining 25 new recurring donors by the end of the month. We need your help during these challenging times. Please help to ensure quality content in amplifying the voices of the AAPI community.
We are published by the non-profit Asian American Media Inc and supported by our readers along with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, AARP, Report for America/GroundTruth Project & Koo and Patricia Yuen of the Yuen Foundation.
You can make your tax-deductible donations here via credit card, debit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal and Venmo. Stock donations and donations via DAFs are also welcomed. Contact us at info @ asamnews dot com for more info.
