‘Cobra Kai' actor Alicia Hannah-Kim rips co-star Martin Kove in bodycam video after what he called ‘playful' biting incident: ‘That is assault!'

New York Post

25-06-2025

Newly released bodycam footage shows 'Cobra Kai' actor Alicia Hannah-Kim ripping into co-star Martin Kove after he bit her at a fan convention — and the 78-year-old's bizarre 'playful' excuse for the incident.
'You can not bite people, that is not okay,' a police officer is heard telling Kove outside Washington State Summer Con in Puyallup on Sunday after Hannah-Kim reported the incident, according to video obtained by NBC News.
'That is assault!' Hannah-Kim, 37, added.
5 Alicia Hannah-Kim (L) is seen talking to a police officer about the incident involving her co-star Martin Kove (far right).
Puyallup Police Dept.
The officer told Kove that it was '100%' up to his co-star if she wanted to press charges against him, then asked what reason he had to bite her.
'I really apologize. I was just playing because we're very playful together, and I bit down too hard,' Kove explained, prompting Hannah-Kim to turn toward the officer in shock over his reasoning.
'She's got a mouth mark on her,' the officer replied.
The Australian actress then sternly told Kove they 'do not play like that' and passionately told him his actions made her 'really pissed.'
'You have left a mark on my body, which in your 80-year-old brain, you think is 'play,'' she scolded him.
'Sir, were you raised in a ditch?'
5 The officer told Kove that it was '100%' up to his co-star if she wanted to press charges against him, then asked what reason he had to bite her.
Puyallup Police Dept.
Hannah-Kim then further chastised the 'Karate Kid' villain for losing his temper with her when she confronted him over the bite.
'You yelled at me! You had the audacity! How dare you, sir,' she told him.
Kove apologized for getting 'angry,' and said he was mad because he was 'indulging in something improper by [biting her].'
The video cuts to show Hannah-Kim having the officer document the bite mark and stating that she wants the incident to be 'on his record.'
5 Hannah-Kim is seen having the cop document the bite mark for the report against Kove.
Puyallup Police Dept.
'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,' she told the cop.
The bodycam footage then cuts again to Kove sitting on a bench and ends with the officer telling him his co-star isn't pressing charges, but wants the bizarre incident documented so it 'doesn't happen again.'
Hannah-Kim claimed the alleged attack happened when she tapped Kove on the shoulder to greet him at their cast booth, according to an informational police report obtained by People.
'Martin Kove suddenly grabbed her arm and bit her upper arm so hard it nearly drew blood, and she yelled out in pain,' the documents read. 'Once Martin Kove finished biting her arm, he grabbed her arm again and began kissing it where he had bit her.'
5 Hannah-Kim attends Netflix's 'Cobra Kai' Season 5 Premiere at Los Angeles State Historic Park on Sept. 7, 2022, in Los Angeles, California.
FilmMagic
Hannah-Kim — who starred alongside Kove as Kim Da-Eun for Seasons 5 and 6 of the Netflix series — claimed her husband, Sebastian Roche, was there and witnessed the alleged attack.
When the pair confronted the actor, he reportedly 'exploded on them' while insisting 'he did not do anything wrong.'
The actress then ran to an officer working the event and reported the incident.
After speaking with Hannah-Kim and the officer, Kove was 'escorted out of Summer Con,' per the report.
Kove has since apologized publicly for biting his co-star and said he 'deeply' regrets his actions.
5 Kove attends the '1923' S2 Premiere at Harmony Gold on Feb. 19, 2025, in Los Angeles, California.
Getty Images for Paramount+
'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 said in a statement obtained by TMZ.
'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.'
'I regret my actions for which I take full responsibility for what I did, and again I apologize to her and her husband. I'm committed to learning from this and it will never happen again,' he added.
The actor found fame as John Kreese in the 1984 movie 'The Karate Kid.' He reprised the role for Parts 2 and 3 of the film franchise.
He joined Netflix's show 'Cobra Kai' in 2018 and starred in the series until showrunners announced it would not be returning after Season 6.