Denver Police officers stand in Civic Center after clearing out a garbage bag of pot that was allegedly dumped in the park, re-bagged and passed out to park patrons. (Jordan Steffen/The Denver Post)
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 Denver Police officers arrested five people in Civic Center this afternoon, after a garbage bag full of marijuana was allegedly dumped out, re-bagged and passed out to park patrons.

Around 12:30 p.m., officers were called to the park, near where Occupy Denver typically holds demonstrations and marches, after they received reports of the marijuana, said Sonny Jackson, a spokesman for the Denver Police Department.

The bag was dumped on a blue tarp in the northeast corner of the park, police said. About 30 people were in the park when the marijuana a was being distributed.

"Why they were doing this we don't know," Jackson said. "This is a public park and we cannot have people openly distributing marijuana."

It did not appear that anyone was paying for the marijuana.

Officers on bikes, motorcycles and on foot responded to the scene.

Several people in the park recorded the incident on cell phones and video cameras as officers loaded the bag into a car.

As officers cleared the park, one woman called the cops "pigs" and "terrorists."

It is unknown if any of the people taken into custody have been arrested at the park before. Their names have not been released.

Jordan Steffen: 303-954-1794 or jsteffen@denverpost.com