diff --git a/wp-includes/html-api/class-wp-html-tag-processor.php b/wp-includes/html-api/class-wp-html-tag-processor.php
index 5e2ee114ae..7a53fbea1e 100644
--- a/wp-includes/html-api/class-wp-html-tag-processor.php
+++ b/wp-includes/html-api/class-wp-html-tag-processor.php
@@ -1431,8 +1431,15 @@ class WP_HTML_Tag_Processor {
 				continue;
 			}
 
-			// Everything of interest past here starts with "<".
-			if ( $at + 1 >= $doc_length || '<' !== $html[ $at++ ] ) {
+			if ( $at + 1 >= $doc_length ) {
+				return false;
+			}
+
+			/*
+			 * Everything of interest past here starts with "<".
+			 * Check this character and advance position regardless.
+			 */
+			if ( '<' !== $html[ $at++ ] ) {
 				continue;
 			}
 
diff --git a/wp-includes/version.php b/wp-includes/version.php
index 98585627f6..726e4b9ada 100644
--- a/wp-includes/version.php
+++ b/wp-includes/version.php
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
  *
  * @global string $wp_version
  */
-$wp_version = '6.7-alpha-58844';
+$wp_version = '6.7-alpha-58845';
 
 /**
  * Holds the WordPress DB revision, increments when changes are made to the WordPress DB schema.