For days, the worst American rioting of this century cast its net over a sprawling area, bringing death in a variety of ways to people divided by geography, race, class, language and age. The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office lists 58 people as having died because of the riots and says 50 were homicide victims.

Charges have been filed in only two of the deaths, those of Matthew Haines, 32 years old, and Charles W. Orebo, 22.

In the Haines death, two juveniles have been arrested and accused of being part of a group of youths that pulled Mr. Haines from his motorcycle, beat him and shot him in the head on April 30 in Long Beach.

In the Orebo killing, Levelle Fredrick Williams, 24, Mr. Orebo's companion, has been charged. He is accused of shooting at law enforcement officers in South-Central Los Angeles on May 1. Mr. Orebo was killed when the officers returned fire. Arrest in Drive-By Shooting

On Friday the police announced another arrest in an effort to prosecute rioters. Akim Dashawn Gilmore, 18, surrendered Thursday night and was arrested for investigation in the May 1 drive-by shooting of Alfred Miller, said Lieut. Rich Molony of the South Bureau homicide unit.

Law-enforcement officials say the chaos brought on by the riots is hampering homicide investigations. "We'll be asking for public assistance in a lot of them," said Officer Bill Frio, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department. "It's all going to depend on the leads that we get."