The first person arrested was carried away by four officers by her arms and legs.
The students and other activists have been protesting Beijing's restrictions on the first election for Hong Kong's leader, though the movement's momentum has been fading in recent weeks.
Many protesters had heeded police warnings to leave the protest zone in Hong Kong's city center, but dozens of students, pro-democracy lawmakers and others, including middle-aged and elderly supporters, remained today afternoon.
Earlier today, workers carrying out a court order removed barricades on the edge of the protest site before officers moved in and dismantled tents. They had warned protesters that they faced arrest if they did not leave.
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"I think the spirit of the movement still lives, but the idea of occupying streets is over," said student Andrew Chan, 20, as he left the site. "We can't even get a big crowd to come out today to fight the police clearing the site."
One of the student leaders, Alex Chow, had rallied the crowds as the police approached, saying their fight was not over and they would find other ways to press forward in the days to come.
The sprawling encampment in Hong Kong's Admiralty section, on the edge of the financial district, has been the focal point for the protesters, who have occupied the site for 75 days.
As the clear-out neared, protesters chanted "I want universal suffrage" and tossed pieces of paper that read "We will be back."
In addition to hundreds of journalists at the scene, a group of about 30 academics was monitoring the police operation, as were the Independent Police Complaints Council and human rights groups.