PHOENIX -- A man accused of leading police on the car chase on Friday during which two news helicopters collided has been charged with unlawful flight, two counts of assaulting a police officer and two counts of auto theft.

But Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas says 23-year-old Christopher J. Jones has not been charged with last week's deaths of the four newsmen who were on the choppers when they went down.

Thomas says further investigation will be needed to determine if additional charges can be brought against Jones.

But the charges that were filed could lead to a prison sentence of 127 years in prison.

UNEDITED VIDEO: Jones' Initial Appearance

Police said Jones started the chase that at least five Valley helicopters were tracking. He was arrested later that day 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.

As he was led into police headquarters in handcuffs, Jones had a few words for CBS 5 News cameras.

"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."

Jones was booked into jail late Friday night on two counts of vehicle theft, four counts of aggravated assault on a police officer and one count of resisting arrest, with other charges expected to be filed later, according to Tranter.

He made an initial appearance on Saturday.

Jones' bond was set at $1 million after a prosecutor told the judge Jones may flee. Formal charges are expected to come later. A status conference has been scheduled for Aug. 3 in Maricopa County Superior Court.

Police say Jones led them on a chase Friday in a work truck that he had stolen.

The collision killed pilot Scott Bowerbank, 42, and photographer Jim Cox, 37, of KTVK and pilot Craig Smith, 46, and photojournalist Rick Krolak, 55, of KNXV.

No one on the ground was hurt.

Friends, family mourn 3TV crew

The first of several memorial services for the victims of last week's mid-air crash involving two television news helicopters was held Tuesday morning in Phoenix.

IMAGES: 3TV Memorial Service

The families of KTVK Channel 3 pilot Scott Bowerbank and photographer Jim Cox held a joint memorial service that began at 11 a.m. Family, friends and co-workers attended the service at First United Methodist Church in Phoenix.

The public was invited to watch the televised service at North Phoenix Baptist Church, 5757 North Central Ave., in Phoenix inside the main worship center.

VIDEO: 2 KTVK Crash Victims Mourned

One by one, friends and family members stood in front of a church stage covered by colorful flowers and told heartfelt stories about Bowerbank and Cox.

There were all the famous people Bowerbank flew in his chopper, including Mick Jagger and Dr. Phil.

As a video tribute to the two men came to an end and the mourners left the church, workers handed out small flowers.

Bowerbank, 42, had worked at KTVK-TV in Phoenix for 12 years.

He was a flight instructor. He was also director of operations for a firm that provides helicopter services, including tours and transport for corporate clients.

Cox, 37, started his photojournalism career with KTVK in January 1995 and was a graduate of Camelback High School in Phoenix.

The son of a military pilot, Cox had recently begun professional training to become a pilot.

A memorial fund for Cox and Bowerbank has been set up at M&I Bank. Viewers can donate at any M&I Bank using the following information: Jim Cox/Scott Bowerbank Memorial Fund, Account #: 0044336897.

The Cox and Bowerbank families have agreed to donate money given to their memorial fund to the family of Officer George Cortez Jr. CLICK TO READ DETAILS

Services Eyed For KNXV Victims

Services for KNXV Channel 15 pilot Craig Smith are set for Thursday at La Casa de Cristo Lutheran Church at 10 a.m. The church is located at 6300 East Bell Road in Scottsdale.

And services for KNXV photographer Rick Krolak will be held on Saturday, Aug. 4 at First United Methodist Church at 10 a.m.

Smith, 46, had worked at KNXV since September 2005.

He was a commercial helicopter pilot in Michigan when he became a pilot-reporter for WXYZ-TV in Detroit and also provided special event coverage for WJR Radio.

Smith studied criminology and communications at Washtenaw and Oakland community colleges and Oakland University in Michigan.

Krolak, 55, had been with KNXV for more than nine years and had been in the Phoenix television market for nearly 20 years.

He enjoyed operating the satellite truck as well as being in the air.

Krolak is survived by three children and one grandchild.

Continuous Public Outpouring Grows

IMAGES: Memorials Grow

Mourners continue to visit a makeshift memorial near the entrance to Steele Indian School Park, site of the crash, to drop off flowers, candles, stuffed animals, notes of condolences and signs honoring the four television journalists.

"I'm heartwrenched," said mourner Dennis Columbia. "They were great guys and I just wish it could all be taken back."

"I wanted to come and honor these people that I knew so well," said another mourner, Cheryl Mercado.

A National Transportation Safety Board spokesman said investigators spent the day wrapping up their examination of the crash site. All the wreckage has been retrieved and laid out at another location for reassembly and analysis.

The NTSB said it plans to announce preliminary report information at the end of the week.

A new hotline number has been launched for people with information about the collision and crash. The NTSB number is 202-314-6000.

The park will remain closed until the soil and pond can be deemed environmentally safe from fuel contamination, authorities said.

Witnesses Aid Investigators

People who witnessed the two news helicopters colliding and called a special hotline with information told federal investigators neither aircraft appeared to be in trouble before they hit and fell to the ground, killing all four aboard, the NTSB said.

A federal probe that opened on Saturday asked witnesses to call a police hotline to help them determine why the choppers tracking a high-speed police chase in central Phoenix collided in midair.

Television viewers did not see the crash since cameras aboard both aircraft were pointed at the ground.

But numerous people in the area saw the helicopters collide and crash, and the NTSB, in conjunction with the Phoenix Police Department, immediately set up a hotline for their eyewitness testimonies.

"It appears as though the Channel 3 (KTVK) helicopter was stationary and the Channel 15 (KNXV) helicopter came up either from under the Channel 3 helicopter, or was at the same level," said NTSB board member Steve Chealander.