Gardaí arrested 17 people during a spate of rioting and joyriding in north Dublin yesterday.
One man was reportedly dragged from his car and beaten up before it was torched.
Officers were called to Finglas yesterday morning after reports that a number of cars had been stolen and were being driven dangerously around the area.
Gardaí from Finglas dealt with three incidents of dangerous driving in the Berryfield Road and Glenties Drive area.
One of the cars that had been stolen was petrol-bombed later yesterday afternoon.
A group of around 60 youths gathered as the Dublin Fire Brigade tackled the fire.
As the numbers swelled and gardaí began to come under attack from the mob, the Garda Public Order Unit, assisted by the Garda Air Support Unit, was called in to deal with the disturbances.
Seventeen people were arrested for public order offences throughout the Finglas area. When the crowd had been dispersed, Dublin City Council removed six cars from Cardiffsbridge Road and Berryfield Road.
Later yesterday evening, a car was hijacked on Cardiffsbridge Road, while another hijack attempt was unsuccessful, a Garda spokesman said. He said there were "no serious injuries" reported.
Local Sinn Féin councillor Dessie Ellis claimed many of those involved in the violence, some of whom were as young at ten, had been drinking all day.
"It culminated in this orgy of burning cars," he said. "It's totally unacceptable. The people down there are in shock."
Many local residents were effectively trapped in their homes during the rioting as they had been warned by gardaí not to venture outside, he added. At least seven cars were torched, he said.