IN BRIEF

AMPUTATION ATTEMPT

Man tries to cut off his own arm at Denny's

A man tried to cut off his arm at a restaurant in Modesto, Calif., because he thought he had injected air into a vein while shooting cocaine, police said.

Authorities said 33-year-old Michael Lasiter rushed into a Denny's restaurant late Friday and started stabbing himself in an arm with a butter knife. When that knife didn't work Lasiter took a butcher knife from the kitchen and dug it into his arm, police said.

Police Sgt. Brian Findlen said Lasiter told officers he thought he needed to amputate his arm to keep himself from dying from the cocaine injection.

Lasiter was taken to a hospital for treatment.

BLACK ROCK DESERT

Burning Man festival draws record crowd

The party is drawing to a close at the annual Burning Man festival on the Northern Nevada desert.

Participants in the eclectic art and music event had planned to burn more artwork Sunday night before its Labor Day conclusion.

The celebration of radical self-expression climaxed late Saturday night with the torching of its 40-foot signature effigy.

A dust storm prompted many participants to leave the Black Rock Desert before the finale.

The crowd for the weeklong celebration peaked Saturday at a record 49,599, up from 47,097 last year.

SINGLE-ENGINE PLANE

Pilot killed in crash trying to tow banner

The pilot of a single-engine plane attempting to tow an advertising banner was killed just before 9:30 a.m. Sunday when the aircraft crashed during takeoff from the Camarillo, Calif., Airport.

Ventura County Fire Department Capt. Ron Oatman said the plane crashed on an unused section of runway.

The pilot's name wasn't immediately released. Under FAA rules, planes towing banners are barred from carrying passengers. No one was injured on the ground.