The easy listening habits of Grantley Richards met with a large police response early yesterday, shutting several Manhattan blocks and causing a brief panic.

The chaos that unfolded on East 67th Street during the morning rush started with a stereo speaker that looked like a bomb. Eventually, the drama ended up involving Slovakian diplomats, the Japanese ambassador to the United Nations and a robot that fires water projectiles.

When it was all over, Mr. Richards's minivan, where he has listened to much jazz and some reggae, sat covered in police tape, with most of its windows blown out.

A law enforcement official said it was Mr. Richards's love of bass that caused the problem.

The police gave this account: About 8 a.m., Mr. Richards's minivan, a Mercury Villager, was parked on East 67th Street between Fifth and Madison Avenues, outside the residence of the Japanese ambassador to the United Nations.