(L.A.) Surafel Techane, 27, Died at a Residence

Case Number: 2025-11193

Los Angeles County is reporting the death of a 27-year-old male that occurred at his residence.

The coroner’s office identified the man as Surafel Techane.

Manner of Death: Accident

Cause of Death: Effects of Nitrous Oxide

RIP SURAFEL TECHANE (July 10, 1998 – July 11, 2025)

Formal pronouncement of death was made on Friday.

The decedent’s name is Ethiopian.

Ruling by the deputy medical examiner was published on September 7, presumably after the results of tox screening had come back from the lab. This is considered an accidental, i.e., unintentional, drug overdose.

Nitrous oxide causes death by displacing oxygen in the body, leading to fatal hypoxia or suffocation. A common way of ingesting nitrous oxide is from “whippets” – inhaling nitrous oxide from small pressurized cartridges, often used recreationally in balloons.

Small pressurized cartridges of nitrous oxide, often called “whippets” or “laughing gas canisters,” are typically inhaled through balloons. These cartridges are small, silver, and cylindrical, originally intended for culinary uses such as whipping cream but are commonly repurposed to fill balloons that people inhale for a short-lived euphoric effect. The balloons serve to warm and contain the gas before inhalation to avoid direct exposure to the cold gas from the canister, which can cause frostbite or other injuries.