Teen who attacked Alki bus driver charged in a new crime

As reported this morning by our partners at the Seattle Times: The teenager who beat an Alki woman unconscious in Tukwila, while she was working as a Metro bus driver, is back in jail. Thirteen months ago, we were at Juvenile Court on Capitol Hill (story here) to cover the sentencing of the then-14-year-old boy, who wrote a letter of apology that described what he did as “touching,” and who was described by his mother as a “good kid” while she also attempted to blame the victim for not preventing what happened. We didn’t identify Solinuu Leae by name at that time, as he was charged as a juvenile; now 15, he has been arrested again, charged as an adult for a violent robbery that, like the attack on the driver from Alki, also rendered its victim – robbed while waiting for a bus in Renton – unconscious. According to the King County Jail Register, Leae’s bail is set at $200,000; he’s been jailed since May 10th. The bus driver he attacked in January of last year told WSB back in March that she was returning to work as a driver. Court documents in the new case against Leae say his sentence for attacking her was completed in January.

Irkedbythis May 18, 2011 (9:21 am)

I am sorry but any kid or person for that matter that would beat someone unconscious is not a “good kid” and just the fact that the mother tried to blame the victim sounds like the mom is not so great herself. I am a mom and if my child did something like this I would be looking at myself and wondering what I did wrong…this person needs to be put away!

sun*e May 18, 2011 (9:22 am)

“described by his mother as a “good kid” while she also attempted to blame the victim for not preventing what happened”. – Seriously!!! I wonder what good ol’ Mom has to say now? 2 strikes!!! Time for this kid to get some well needed help.

Alki Area May 18, 2011 (9:40 am)

He’s NOT a good kid, he’s evil.

Do you know how many people my dad, my brother and I have beat up randomly in the last 60 years? None. Not one. No one in my entire circle of friends (which is dozens of people) have EVER beat any strangers (or anyone) into unconsciousness, much less MULTIPLE TIMES! NO ONE who is a “good kid” randomly viciously beats strangers. One fight over some heated argument in one thing, but multiple violent attacks on total strangers makes you a psychotic animal who should be put away for life to protect the innocent.

The idea that “good kids” somehow just occasionally beat the hell out of people, the idea that that’s something “good kids” just do now and then is BULLS**T. NO ONE I know does that. Only vicious monsters do that.

ummm May 18, 2011 (10:19 am)

Anyone surprised? Anyone? Aaaanyone at all?

JB May 18, 2011 (10:27 am)

Not surprised. Only concerned that he’ll serve real time and learn addition “skills” from career criminals while in jail. What the hell does a society do with a 15 year old with a history of violent crime?

monroe1200 May 18, 2011 (11:23 am)

JB – What society should do with ANY violent person is release the thousands of drug offenders taking up space in prison and put them there instead. There are enough prisons to hold real criminals if the government would set their priorities right. I agree with you though that he will for sure learn some new “skills”!

austin May 18, 2011 (11:24 am)

Sounds like Mom needs some jail time and fines. Parents should be held legally responsible for crimes committed by their children.

Sgt.Hartman May 18, 2011 (11:35 am)

Seems that with a mother like that, this was all just a matter of time.

brn2bm May 18, 2011 (11:41 am)

I agree with monroe1200. And I know what society should do with violent criminals. Put them in charge of taking care of white collar criminals.

DP May 18, 2011 (12:14 pm)

This is the problem I have with the Times and other mainstream media . . . Why the hell do they even ask the mother her opinion of the kid? What’s she gonna say?

Yeah, little Johnny was always a monster, even as a baby. Oh, and by the way, I’m an awful mother, too.

Duh, Times, duh! If Mom tells you that Johnny spent the first half of his life in an orphanage, yeah, that’s relevant. If she tells you that he was dropped on his head as a baby, that’s relevant too. But if she tells you he was always a “good kid,” take my advice and ignore it, because a statement like that, coming from her, means exactly ZERO-ZILCH-NADA.
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Hell, Adolf Hitler’s mom thought he was a good kid.
Jeffrey Dahmer’s mom thought he was a good kid.
Tim Eyman’s mom thought he was a good kid.
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OK, so maybe not Eyman’s mom, but you get my point.
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On the other hand, maybe the papers ask the mom precisely because they know people will get all worked up about it.
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Yeah, that’s prolly it. Seems like we fall for it every time.

WSB May 18, 2011 (12:47 pm)

They didn’t ASK the mother. We covered the same hearing last year, in person, both days, and we have the same quote. It was her testimony to the judge.

Alki Area May 18, 2011 (12:59 pm)

@monroe1200

Absolutely. NO ONE should be in prison EXCEPT for the violent physically dangerous. If you committed some non-violent crime (check scam, got with pot, etc) then you simply pay a fine. Putting them in prison not only takes up space that should be used for the violent, but it COSTS money…where a simple fine MAKES money for the state. Win win.

WS Steve May 18, 2011 (1:25 pm)

Now, DP, it’s completely unfair to lump Eyman in with a monster like Dahmer. Dahmer never took money for what he did.

Irkedbythis May 18, 2011 (1:43 pm)

If you read the Seattle Times article it was him and his two brothers! Wow mom you really did a good job with all of them!!!

lostcoyote May 18, 2011 (2:35 pm)

Since my earlier post was deleted I DON’T KNOW WHY SINCE I NEVER BROKE THE RULES, I’ll sugarcoat it and say he was a very good kid then..:)

WSB May 18, 2011 (2:37 pm)

LC, I haven’t deleted a post in this thread. Haven’t deleted one in any thread for a few days, in fact. Will check the spam filter, which sometimes gets a bit hyper-aggressive.- TR

Alex May 18, 2011 (2:54 pm)

Apples don’t fall far from trees.

C May 18, 2011 (3:45 pm)

I saw that yesterday and it made me sick. I am also very curious about their home life.

Tracy White May 18, 2011 (3:51 pm)

Alki – So someone who is assessed a fine and doesn’t pay it has what happen? Repeated letters reminding them they have fines, and would you please pay it?

Lots of fines out there that don’t get collected because people don’t pay and it’s too expensive to track them down.

Joel May 18, 2011 (9:49 pm)

sounds like a great family….both sons committing crimes and a stupid mother. any sign of dad? I’d just put a fence around their house and keep them all confined for the next 20 years

sun*e May 19, 2011 (8:45 am)

Maybe the Mom is afraid of her own kids so she had to defend them or they’d beat the crap out of her when they got home. I remember when my Mom used to say “wait till we get home” – I knew I was in for a spakin’. Maybe the tables have turned in their household and the kids rule the roost.

csw May 19, 2011 (10:41 am)

From the Times, “My son is a victim,” the teen’s mother said during Leae’s sentencing for second-degree assault. “I do not believe he is guilty of hitting…. My son could not have hit anyone. Look at his size.”

Huh, the punk is 6’2″, 260lb. How can a mother be so blind. Why can’t parents take control of their families any more? I had friends from different walks of life when I was 15, NONE of them injured another human being. The mother should be jailed for being a blind idiot. Not just one son involved in the beating, but two! I hope our WS bus driver is doing well and back on track.

WSB May 19, 2011 (10:43 am)

CSW, just for a data point, I was at the hearing last year (our story is linked in this one) and he wasn’t 6-2, 260 pounds then. Not that it matters – violence can come from people of all sizes and shapes. But just for that datapoint. I have a son just eight months younger, and it can be a time of rapid growth. – TR

csw May 19, 2011 (11:24 am)

WSB, I understand and agree. My main point is many parents are blind when it comes to what “a good kid” REALLY looks like.

Frankly, I think many parents don’t care whether a kid is good or not (I base this on the large number of violent crimes of young people 10-20 years old in the Seattle area).

Everyone think it’s wonderful when a sweet, beautiful baby is brought into the world. Some people don’t think beyond infancy and cuteness. So the kid is pushed aside, because. . . . now the mom/parents have another baby, want to party themselves, or just can’t be bothered by a hounding kid.

I have no kids, but had an excellent example of parenthood from my parents. I was 40 years old before I got my first dog, because that was when I settled down, had my own house and yard, and knew I could keep and love my dog until the day she died.

I wish all parents were as responsible with their kids as I am with my dogs.

Sorry, comment time is over.