The incendiary images boomeranged around Canada -- an alcohol-fueled mob of 1,000 young people that attacked police and torched a TV news van.
Now, authorities are scanning those same photos and videos clips -- many of them posted online -- to find what Mayor Joe Fontana calls the "hooligans and idiots" responsible for Saturday night's mayhem on Fleming Dr., near Fanshawe College.
Sunday, at a hastily-called news conference hours after the melee was subdued, London police Chief Brad Duncan and Fontana expressed outrage at the rampage.
Describing the scene as a war zone, Duncan said the riot was "the worst case of civil disobedience" he's seen in his 32 years of policing.
"The severity of this mob mentality could have easily resulted in death," he said.
Fontana echoed that statement.
"We can thank our lucky stars no one was killed," he said. "This is an injury for the whole city of London."
Numerous injuries were reported after the mob attacked police on Fleming Dr.
Saturday night with bottles, bricks, rocks and wood, and set a TV news truck on fire.
The 50 officers in riot gear felt the onslaught was so dangerous, as projectiles rained down on them, they retreated for a time, leaving the street to the rioters.
The crowd roared as the cruisers rolled away over a carpet of broken glass.
Many picked up whatever they could find to throw and cheered when something smashed into its intended target.
Of the 11 people police had arrested, seven are Fanshawe students, Duncan said.
The CTV news van, overturned and engulfed by 20-ft-high flames, exploded a number of times as a mattress, a big-screen TV and other items were added to the inferno.
The biggest explosion lit up more than a block of houses in bright orange and sent many in the crowd screaming for safety.
Police finally gained the upper hand after 4 a.m., when the mob began to thin.
Duncan urged parents of Fanshawe students to talk to them to find out if they were involved or injured.
He also detailed the fallout from the riot that made headlines across the country:
All 17 police vehicles at the scene were damaged.
The news van was overturned and torched, while green-decked St. Patrick Day revellers threw chunks of fences theyd ripped down.
An early estimate of the personnel costs and damage to vehicles, property and pavement is $100,000, Duncan said.
"This is an incredible expense to our community, based on the actions of a few."
A team of investigators is reviewing riot footage posted online and interviewing witnesses to identify those responsible, Duncan said.
Some rioters boasted of their participation on social media websites such as Twitter and Facebook.
Duncan urged those involved to turn themselves in to police, who have set up a website of their own for tipsters to name names.
Fontana said authorities will track down those responsible and take steps to ensure there's no repeat of the dramatics in the area filled with student rentals.
"The days of thinking that Fleming Drive and that area is a place that you can come to cause harm, cause destruction -- those days are over," he warned.
--- --- ---
BLOW BY BLOW
10 p.m.: Firefighters called to Fleming Dr. for a brush fire. They run into a mob estimated at 1,000 and call for police help.
10 to 11 p.m.: Police in riot gear and vehicles are attacked by hundreds throwing bottles, wood and debris.
11:01 p.m.: Police warn the crowd the gathering is unlawful and order them to leave.
11:08 p.m.: The announcement is repeated numerous times.
11:25 p.m.: Police retreat with their vehicles.
11:30 p.m.: A CTV news van is overturned and set on fire.
5 a.m. (approx.): The last of the mob finally leaves.