PHOENIX -- Bail has been set at $1 million for a man police say they were chasing Friday at the time two news helicopters collided, killing four people onboard.

UNEDITED VIDEO: Jones' Initial Appearance - 7/28/07 -

Christopher Jones, 23, was arraigned on Saturday on four counts of aggravated assault, two counts of theft of means of transportation and one count of resisting arrest.

Jones was booked into jail Friday night. Police said he has a criminal record and was on parole.

As he was led into Phoenix police headquarters, a reporter asked Jones whether he realized what he had allegedly done. "Not really," Jones said.

Jones had a few other words for camera crews. "It wasn't a crime spree, it was an accident," he said. "I didn't even know what I was doing. I blanked out, dude."

Television station KNXV operated one of the choppers that crashed. The other was from KTVK.

The helicopters were covering the police pursuit of a work truck.

"It began at 12:06 p.m. with a call to 911 about a stolen vehicle around 7th Street and Jefferson Street," Harris said. "Two officers spotted the vehicle and were rammed by the truck."

Police said they deployed stop sticks and the vehicle was eventually riding on its rims.

"The driver then climbed out and stole a second vehicle and continued escaping westbound on Indian School Road," Harris said.

That's about the time the helicopters collided, Harris said.

"From that point, the driver rammed a number of vehicles, another police car and then bailed out," Harris said.

Jones was arrested about three hours later after SWAT officers stormed a home in far west Phoenix where he had barricaded himself.

A SWAT team with canines made a forced entry, police said. Jones suffered a number of dog bites and was treated for the wounds, police said.