Indiana couple sues son of Nation of Islam leader

Associated Press/May 22, 2003

Valparaiso, Indiana -- An Indiana couple is suing the son of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan over a hit-and-run accident that led to his arrest on drunken driving charges.

The lawsuit was filed in Porter Superior Court by Charles and Gladys Peterson of Gary. It seeks damages for personal injury and property damage and compensation for medical care against 44-year-old Joshua Nasir Farrakhan of Chicago.

Farrakhan was arrested May Tenth after state police said he left the scene of an accident on the Indiana Toll Road in LaPorte County, about 50 miles east of Chicago.

State police say Farrakhan's 1997 Hummer struck the rear of a car driven by 73-year-old Charles Peterson. Gladys Peterson was a passenger in the car, and she was treated for neck and back pain.