Martin Kove, from ‘Cobra Kai’, is accused of assaulting colleague during an event in the USA

Known for the role of the merciless John Kreese in the “Karate Kid” franchise and the “Cobra Kai” series, actor Martin Kove, 78, got involved in a controversy outside the screens.

During a fan convention held last weekend in Puyallup, Washington state, he was accused of biting the arm of castmate Alicia Hannah-Kim, who plays the character Kim Da-Eun in the Netflix series.

According to information released by the TMZ website, Alicia reported to the police that she was surprised by Kove in the VIP space of the event, called Summer Con. According to his testimony, when he greet the actor in a friendly manner, he grabbed her unexpectedly and bit his arm so intensely that he almost made her bleed. After the fright, she would have shouted in pain and then Kove would still have kissed the bite site. The police report describes that the brand was “blue and with visible bruises”.

Alicia was accompanied by her husband, who witnessed the assault and also gave testimony to the police. The couple confronted the actor immediately, stating that the attitude had been unacceptable. Kove would have reacted with irritation, claiming that it was “a joke,” according to official records. Even with the later apology from the actor, the situation generated discomfort and culminated in his withdrawal of the event by the authorities.

Although Alicia has not filed a formal complaint for aggression, she chose to open a police report, considering the possibility that behavior can be repeated. Local police took photos of the injury to include in the report.

The actor, who was eternalized for his role as the villain of “Karate Kid”, had gained new projection by reprising the character in the “Cobra Kai” series, aired by Netflix between 2018 and 2025. The series brought together much of the franchise’s original cast and won fans of different generations.

So far, neither Kove nor Alicia have publicly spoken about the episode. TMZ claims to have tried to contact the representatives of the two actors, but got no response. If the episode evolves into a lawsuit, Kove may be summoned to provide formal clarifications to US courts.