LAPD captain files lawsuit against Detective Frank Lyga

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Frank Lyga, an LAPD detective who shot a fellow officer in a traffic dispute, is accused of making racial comments and has been relieved of duty. Friday, another detective announced a lawsuit against Lyga.

LAPD Captain Lillian Carranza claims Lyga made vulgar comments about her in front of dozens of colleagues.

Lyga was relieved of duty and turned in his gun, badge and car, assigned to home duty on Thursday.

Captain Carranza was specifically called out by Lyga in a secretly recorded speech he made to an LAPD Academy class in November.

"Very cute little Hispanic lady who couldn't find her ass with both her hands," Lyga allegedly says on the leaked recording.

He went on to say she'd been "swapped around a bunch of times."

Now Carranza is suing Lyga for slander per se, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

In paperwork filed Friday, Carranza says the comments were made publicly and were intended to be made public and caused her shame, embarrassment, humiliation and injury.

"Sometimes I tell the truth to the point where it's detrimental to me," Lyga allegedly says in the recording.

In 1997, Lyga, who was working undercover, shot and killed off-duty LAPD officer Kevin Gaines in a traffic dispute.

Lyga talked about it with the class.

"I regret he was alone in the truck at the time. Figure that one out (inaudible). Alone in the truck at the time. I could have killed a whole truckload of them and would have been happy doing it," Lyga allegedly says in the recording.

During a radio interview, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck was asked about potentially re-opening the investigation into the death of Gaines.

"That's one of the things we're looking at. We're doing the interviews with the people involved," said Beck.

Thursday, Lyga was relieved of duty by the department. He'll now work from home, but without a badge or gun.

For the first time Friday, Eyewitness News spoke with Ira Salzman, Lyga's attorney. Salzman says Lyga is apologetic and remorseful about the recorded comments. But, he says, Carranza's lawsuit is "premature," and that Lyga is now planning to fight for his job.

Salzman says Lyga understands why he's being taken out of the field for now, but believes the remarks don't merit the most severe sanctions. He says he has a lot of experience to contribute to department investigations going forward.