(L.A.) David Tzaput Tzep, 23, Died in Encino

Case Number: 2019-04994

Los Angeles County is reporting the death of a 23-year-old Hispanic male that occurred in a yard in Encino.

The coroner’s office identified the young man as David Tzaput Tzep of Montebello.

Manner of Death: Accident

Cause of Death: Mechanical Asphyxia

RIP DAVID TZAPUT TZEP (June 20, 1996 – July 3, 2019)

Formal pronouncement of death was made on Wednesday at 7:21 p.m.

The decedent was a sewer repair worker who died when a trench collapsed at around 6:25 p.m. at 5055 Louise Avenue, near Ventura Boulevard.

The worker descended into the trench to do work on an underground sewer line when a catastrophic failure of the trench occurred. The trench was between 10 and 20 feet deep. An Urban Search and Rescue Team responded to the scene and shored up the trench before recovering the body.