PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office and District Attorney Larry Krasner announced Wednesday that former 39th District Police Officer Daniel Levitt has been convicted of perjury after body camera footage contradicted his testimony regarding a 2021 traffic stop in Northwest Philadelphia.
The conviction follows Levitt’s false testimony in connection to a van stop he and two other officers conducted in Northwest Philadelphia on April 28, 2021, according to the DA’s office.
According to the release, the officers pulled the van over for running a stop sign and driving with a license plate that was not registered to the vehicle. The driver of the van was Angel DaBaez-Carrucini, and the front passenger was Tyshon Butts.
Body camera footage depicts Levitt speaking to Angel, while the other officers spoke to Tyshon, the DA’s office explained. During the stop, one of the officers accessed Butts’ backpack from the back of the vehicle and handed it to him so that he could retrieve his wallet and provide a form of identification.
After presenting an access card to the officers, the release notes that Butts placed his unzipped backpack behind DaBaez-Carrucini’s seat. As additional officers arrived on scene, Levitt instructed them to take Butts out of the vehicle.
Levitt then entered the vehicle through the driver’s side and grabbed the backpack. It was then that he uncovered a firearm with an extended magazine in the bag, which he subsequently claimed to have seen sticking out of Butts’ backpack.
As a result, Tyshon Butts was arrested and charged with violating the Uniform Firearms Act, Section 6106, along with other related charges.
At an Aug. 5, 2021, preliminary hearing, former Officer Levitt provided the court with false testimony about the stop and how the firearm was discovered. Seven months later, Levitt was arrested on perjury charges, according to the release.
In an interview with NBC10 Philadelphia, Krasner explained that even though Butts did not have permission to legally carry the firearm, he could not be convicted because of Levitt’s “illegal search” and “lie to cover up the illegal search.”
“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 emphasized to NBC10.
Following Levitt’s arrest, the Philadelphia Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division launched an investigation into the case. The matter was later referred to the District Attorney’s Office, and after a two-day jury trial, Levitt was convicted of perjury on June 2, 2026.
In the release, Krasner characterized Levitt’s conduct as “egregious,” claiming it “chips away at the collective trust in all law enforcement officials.”
“It is thanks to the due diligence of the prosecutors on this case, as well as the careful deliberation of a Philadelphia jury, that Defendant Levitt will be held accountable for his actions,” stated Krasner.
As former Officer Daniel Levitt awaits sentencing, which is scheduled for August 2026, his case emphasizes ongoing concerns regarding the reliability of police testimony and evidence collection, and underscores the importance of objective surveillance tools in law enforcement accountability.
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