A former Philadelphia police officer was convicted of perjury Tuesday after a jury determined he lied about a traffic stop, according to District Attorney Larry Krasner. On June 3, Krasner and the DAO’s Special Investigations Unit held a news conference to announce the conviction of former poli ce officer Daniel Levitt, who was found guilty of lying under oath regarding the discovery of a gun during a traffic stop in April 2021 in Northwest Philly. Assistant District Attorney Clarke Beljean said on April 28, 2021, Levitt was working with two other officers when they pulled over a van on the 2900 block of North Sydenham Street for disregarding a stop sign and having a license plate that was not registered to the vehicle. Officials said body worn camera shows Levitt speaking to the driver as the other two officers spoke to the front passenger. Without the knowledge of Levitt, one of his partners retrieved the passenger’s backpack from the rear of the van and handed it to him so he could provide identification. From there, the passenger unzipped his bag, pulled out his wallet, and provided an access card. After putting the wallet back into his backpack, the man zipped the backpack completely shut and put it into the passenger compartment behind the driver’s seat. Then, according to Beljean, Levitt unzipped the backpack and discovered a firearm with an extended magazine. The passenger was arrested. According to officials, in August 2021, Levitt testified that the passenger’s gun was “sticking out” of the backpack as he searched the van during a traffic stop. However, Beljean said body-worn camera footage proved that the bag was always zipped, meaning the gun was never exposed. “That was simply not true,” Beljean said. Levitt was arrested in March 2022 on perjury charges stemming from the false testimony, according to officials. According to Krasner, Levitt’s case marks the third successful prosecution and conviction for perjury of a Philadelphia Police Department officer under the current administration. “Why would a police officer say that a gun was sticking out of a bag so he can see it when it wasn’t? Why does it matter? It matters because the case goes away if you tell the truth. Why does it go away? Because it is a violation of individual rights to search that bag without legal authority,” Krasner said. Krasner said that despite the fact that the passenger did not have permission to carry the firearm, he could not be convicted because there was an “illegal search and then there was a lie to cover up the illegal search.” Levitt’s sentencing was scheduled for August 2026. ...read more read less