The incident occurred outside the 1st District Police station in the 1700-block of South State Street at about 2:30 a.m., police said.
Officers said someone smashed a tire into a windshield and onto the roof of an officer's personal car. A total of four police cruisers and two officer's personal vehicles were damaged,
Some of the damage was bizarre; a cone was placed on top of one of the cars and next to that one the person put a heavy tire on top of a car roof. They even managed to pick up a concrete bucket and lug it onto the hood of an unmarked police SUV.
The damage extended further down State Street, with some damage to an outdoor seating area fence and a city trash can.
The man responsible apparently took off after doing the damage. The person is reportedly a prisoner who was released from the lock-up, but police have not confirmed that information.
Police are investigating and no one is in custody.