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.
More violent clashes erupted in Hong Kong overnight as pro-democracy protesters appeared increasingly willing to confront police.
The territory's 28,000-strong police force has struggled to contain a youth-led movement that has shown little sign of waning after three weeks of standoffs.
Demonstrators in the Mongkok district launched a fresh assault early on Sunday, putting on helmets and goggles before surging forward to grab a line of metal barricades.
Hundreds of police officers hit out at a wall of umbrellas that protesters used to fend off police pepper spray.
The clashes came hours after Hong Kong's pro-Beijing leader Leung Chun-ying said talks would be held on Tuesday and broadcast live on television.
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'.