Solinuu Leae, 16, of Renton was charged Aug. 30 as an adult with first-degree robbery for allegedly assaulting and robbing a man at the Renton Transit Center on May 5.

Initially, prosecutors charged Leae as an adult, believing he was 16 at the time of the assault. However, after examining a birth certificate, a judge determined he is 15. He was charged in Juvenile Court.

At a heaing on Tuesday, Leae agreed to the state's request to have him prosecuted in adult court, according to the King County Prosecutor's Office.

Leae is scheduled for a hearing at 9 a.m. Sept. 12 at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent.

If Solinuu Leae had been found guilty in juvenile court, he could have been held for about two years, according to the Prosecutor's Office. As an adult, he would face 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 years in prison.

Leae's brother Troy Leae and another defendant, Francisco R. Rondon, both 20, are charged with first-degree robbery for their alleged role in the attack of a 36-year-old man at the transit center on Burnett Avenue South.

The assault left the man with a broken left arm and a broken jaw.

The first-degree charge factors in the assault that occurred in the robbery, Dan Donohoe, a spokesman for the Prosecutor's Office, said in an earlier interview.

"We believe it's a serious case," said Donohoe. "He has a prior history."

Prosecutors say that Solinuu Leae is a danger to the community.

Solinuu Leae spent a year in juvenile detention – an exceptional sentence – for assaulting a Metro bus driver on Jan. 23, 2010, on her Route 124 bus not far from Foster High School in Tukwila. He was released in January.

Contact Renton Reporter Editor Dean Radford at editor@rentonreporter.com or 1-425-255-3484 (ext 5050).

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