A driver who hit and injured a police officer while speeding away from a traffic stop at Taiwan's main airport avoided jail after paying compensation.

• The man was parked illegally in a red zone outside Terminal 2 at Taoyuan International Airport last June.
• When an officer approached to check him, he hit the gas and drove off, dragging and throwing the officer to the ground.
• The officer was hurt on his head, chest, hip and shoulder; police tracked the driver down soon after.
• The court gave him six months in prison, suspended for two years, after he admitted the crime and paid the officer NT$85,000 in installments.
• The police side asked for leniency, which weighed in his favor at sentencing.

Outlook: The suspended sentence stands unless he reoffends within the next two years.