CRIME BLOTTER

‘Cobra Kai’ actor Martin Kove accused of biting co-star at WA State Fair, no charges filed

Jun 24, 2025, 4:50 PM

Cobra Kai Martin Kobe bite...

Martin Kove attends Netflix's "Cobra Kai" Season 5 Premiere Event. (Photo: David Livingston, Getty Images)

(Photo: David Livingston, Getty Images)

A Puyallup police officer broke up an altercation between two high-profile actors at the Washington State Fair in Puyallup on Sunday.

Martin Kove, an actor in the “Karate Kid” movies and Netflix’s “Cobra Kai,” allegedly bit his co-star Alicia Roche on the arm and drew blood. However, no charges were filed.

Washington State Fair incident

In a police report from the Puyallup Police Department (PPD), a uniformed patrol officer for the City of Puyallup was working VIP security at the Summer Con event held at the Washington State Fair.

The officer recounted the incident, stating that he could hear “an irate female yelling into a phone” and being escorted by event staff. The officer was later approached by Roche and pointed to her left arm, which had a visible bite mark.

“I asked Alicia who had assaulted her and tried getting a description, and she told me that she was assaulted by another cast member/coworker named Martin Kove, and she wanted me involved in this matter,” the officer said in his statement.

Roche told the officer that she was going to her booth and tapped Kove on the shoulder to say “hello,” in an arranged area to house all of the Cobra Kai cast members.

Kove reacted to the shoulder tap from Roche by allegedly grabbing her arm and biting the upper half, which drew blood, as she yelled out in pain, the officer stated. After Kove had bitten Roche’s arm, he allegedly grabbed her arm again and began kissing the spot where he had bitten her.

The scene after Kove bit his co-star

Once the incident subsided, Alicia told her husband, Sebastian Roche, and they both went to speak to Kove about the incident. The officer was told that Kove “exploded” on the two, but Kove claimed he didn’t do anything wrong.

The officer took Kove and Roche away from the public’s view and told them both that he was investigating an assault. Kove admitted to the officer that he had bitten Roche’s arm and claimed that he thought he was being funny and viewed it as a joke, mentioning that the two play fight all the time on movie sets.

Roche explained to Kove how upset she was about being bitten, and said “he had legitimately caused her pain,” and continued to show others the bite mark on her arm, which grew darker as time went on.

Roche then told the officer that she did not wish to press charges on Kove for being assaulted, although she did ask to file a report “in case this continues.”

Kove was eventually escorted out of the Summer Con.

Follow Jason Sutich on X. Send news tips here.

Please follow our Community Guidelines

Crime Blotter

seattle man arrest...

James Lynch

Online sting leads to arrest of Seattle man as law enforcement ramps up predator crackdown

The Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) said an online undercover operation has led to the arrest of a 29-year-old Seattle man.

5 hours ago

_Aaron Farinacci spokane fires old trails fire...

MyNorthwest Staff

$2M bail set after arson suspect admits to planning Old Trails Fire, setting 25 other fires since July 2025

The man arrested for arson in connection with the Old Trails Fire in Spokane told detectives he planned to start the fire.

6 hours ago

seattle narcotics trafficking...

Jason Sutich

‘Obscene and lethal amounts’: Drug kingpin gets 10 years for flooding Seattle’s ‘Jungle’ with narcotics

The leader of a drug distribution network was sentenced to 10 years in prison after police cracked down on activity in Seattle and nearby homeless camps.

10 hours ago

spokane fire suspect plea...

Lexi Herda, KIRO 7 News

Man suspected of starting Old Trails Fire in Spokane area expected to enter plea

The man accused of starting one of the fires wreaking havoc on the Spokane area will enter his plea in court Thursday.

12 hours ago

spokane wildfire arson...

Charlie Harger

Harger: A killer. Medium to high risk. Questioned about arson 3 times. 2 states had his file. Hundreds of homes in Spokane are gone

The situation in Spokane is hard to believe. A man has been arrested and is being held on suspicion of starting the biggest of those three fires.

15 hours ago

human remains fire judkins park...

Jason Sutich

Brush fire near Judkins Park leads to discovery of human remains, ‘suspicious death’ probe

A driver on the interstate spotted a fire in a greenbelt area near Judkins Park, leading to the discovery of human remains on Wednesday night.

16 hours ago

‘Cobra Kai’ actor Martin Kove accused of biting co-star at WA State Fair, no charges filed