Hong Kong police have arrested two student leaders of the protests, which began in the region in September.
Occupy Central supporters refuse to budge despite repeated attempts to remove them but police obtained a court order allowing them to clear swathes of tents and barricades.
Eighty court bailiffs were also appointed to help clear the area.
Video footage appears to show Hong Kong police officers taking a handcuffed pro-democracy protester into a dark corner before repeatedly kicking and beating him.
The man was one of a number of demonstrators knocked down by police armed around an underpass outside the government's headquarters in the early hours of this morning.
ITV News China Correspondent Lucy Watson reports:
The superhero appeared to join pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong which have been going on for over a month.
A Hong Kong resident says the Occupy Central protests, now in their third week, show another side to a city known for its "cold efficiency".
Despite clashes on the streets a university student used a brief moment of quiet to ask his girlfriend to marry him and she said 'yes'.