One of the most publicized images from the turmoil of the G20 weekend in downtown Toronto was that of an abandoned police car, blazing furiously in the street.

A total of six police vehicles were burned or vandalized during the mayhem, says Toronto police spokeswoman Meaghan Gray. Five have been written off while one is under repair.

Gray couldn’t pinpoint where each was damaged, but photographs and video from the afternoon of June 26 show two cruisers in flames at the intersection of King and Bay Streets, and two others under attack and later torched on Queen St. W. east of Spadina Ave.

The destroyed cars were Crown Victoria Police Interceptors, Gray says, a popular model made by the Ford Motor Company.

It's "the number one police vehicle in the industry and is the only standard Flex Fuel V-8 powered, rear-wheel-drive interceptor with a body-on-frame build,” Ford boasts on its website.

The Toronto Police Service acquires its vehicles through the Police Cooperative Purchasing Group, which represents law enforcement agencies across the province.

Each cruiser destroyed in the riot cost $65,000 to $75,000, a tally that includes equipment, Gray says. Police “did not lose any weapons” from the cars, she adds.

None of the doomed vehicles had onboard cameras that would help identify the people who damaged them, but one did possess vehicle licence recognition software. This allows police to pull up behind a car or truck and run an automated check of the licence plate to determine whether the vehicle has been stolen.

While there’s no specific Criminal Code charge for destroying a police cruiser, car-wreckers should not expect to escape unpunished.

“If a car is burned, it’s arson. If vandalized, it’s mischief,” Gray says.

One Toronto resident already faces charges after police last week released digital images of six men performing various acts of vandalism during the G20 weekend. Three were identified within 12 hours, police say.

Ashran Ravindhraj, 25, turned himself in Wednesday. He is charged with arson and two counts of mischief over $5,000. 

News of his arrest came as police released 10 more images of people wanted in connection with damage to public and private property.

Police are still encouraging the public to submit information, images and videos via email to g20investigativeteam@torontopolice.on.ca, by calling in a tip to 416-808-7568 or by calling investigators directly at 416-808-0650.

Did you see the two other police vehicles being vandalized during the G20 weekend? Tell us about it in the comments.